Don't Judge Me
by 11Renee11
Summary: Freya is tired of being judged by the other La Push wolves, simply because of her size. She is tired of being babied because she is the smallest. Will she ever be able to show that size is unimportant, and prove her worth to the pack and to herself?
1. Guess I Forgot to Expect the Unexpected

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or the rest of the series. Nor do I own any of the characters. I only own my own characters...but I guess that's something, right? :D **

When Leah became a werewolf in the Twilight series, I wondered why Stephanie Meyer made her the only girl in the pack. Girls can be just as hardcore as guys, afterall- there are quite a few girls out there who would make fantastic werewolves. Thus, I decided to give Leah a companion and friend in the form of Freya, a fellow female werewolf. I dearly hope you won't be dissappointed, and will approve of her incredible hardcore-ness. :) I hope you enjoy reading this first chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!

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**Chapter One**

The beach was full of teenagers, running around, laughing. Having fun. The bonfire was just getting ready to begin- the Elders had given Sam the order to light the logs that had been so carefully collected earlier that day. The sound of laughter could be heard from nearly a mile away. I would know- I'd heard it.

I phased quickly, and hurried down to the beach where the others were waiting for me.

"Clip!" Seth called to me, using the pack's nickname for me. "Hurry up- it's getting ready to start!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming," I laughed.

Clip was supposed to be short for Calypso, which meant "she who conceals". It was Greek…or maybe Latin. I'd dropped Latin after my first semester of the language, so I didn't know…but honestly, it doesn't exactly matter a whole lot. It's the meaning of the name that holds the most significance for me, for as the pack's smallest female wolf, I oftentimes did the pack's sneaky work. Of course, I'd much rather be out tearing apart vampires with Seth and Jacob and the rest of them, but let's be honest here- my wolf form wasn't really a wolf. It was more like a large dog. On more than one occasion, I'd been called "cute".

"Where've you been?" Seth asked, pulling me by the arm over to the bonfire. "We've been waiting for you!"

I blushed. "You guys didn't have to do that…I was just doing one more round. I get antsy, leaving the guard down." I frowned. We still hadn't caught Victoria…that little leech. She was still running around here somewhere. I hated the feeling that our tribe was unprotected from the little devil.

"Look," Seth ordered, pointing to the other side of the beach, where a pale girl with long brown hair and chocolate brown eyes was laughing loudly, Jake on her arm. "Bella's here. Victoria doesn't care about anybody else- she just wants Bella, and she's surrounded by werewolves. Nothing's going to happen, so will you just chill already?"

"Yeah, Clip," Embry agreed. "Relax. This is supposed to be a fun night- don't ruin it with your worrying."

I frowned again, my eyebrows furrowed. "If I don't worry, then who's going to?" I asked. "Not Jacob, obviously." I looked over at the teenage boy who was flirting shamelessly with Bella, making her cheeks flush. "He knows that she's got a little bloodsucking boyfriend waiting for her on the other side of the border, right?"

"Someone sounds a little…jealous," Seth commented.

"I'm not jealous," I lied easily with a shrug. "I just know that if I found out that my boyfriend was cheating on me, flirting it up with another girl…"

"You don't have a boyfriend," Quil teased me.

"Only because I'm too busy picking up your watches," I glared at him. "Watch yourself."

"Sorry," he apologized with a grin, clearly not at all sorry.

You see- here's the thing. I'd known Jacob Black all my life. We'd grown up together. When I was little, he and I used to go swimming in the ocean. When Bella visited every summer with her dad, she'd join us- it was a blast. I loved every moment of it. But then Bella moved back to Forks…and Edward left Forks…and suddenly, all my Jacob-time was gone. He was always hanging out with Bella- fixing her motorcycle, teaching her how to ride it, going with her to the movies…

Yeah, I was jealous- jealous because Isabella Swan had stolen my best friend form me. I was not, nor had I ever been, romantically interested in the boy. He was my best friend, and I didn't like seeing him hurt the way he was being hurt by Bella. That was it. A feeble argument, yeah, but it was the truth.

I sighed, shaking my head. "You two are impossible. You know that? Absolutely impossible. Come on, already- we should help Sam with the fire."

Soon enough, we had a roaring bonfire going on the beach. I watched as Jacob and Bella talked…and then I realized that they had completely forgotten about Bella's other friends, who were shifting uncomfortably on their log. I heaved a sigh, shamed of Jake's lack of manners, and headed over to them.

"Hey," I greeted them, smiling widely. "You guys look lonely."

They just sort of smiled at me, looking uncomfortable. I sat down next to one of them- a boy, with light blonde hair and bright blue eyes. "You mind?" I asked.

"No, of course not," a taller girl with curly black hair replied. "I'm Angela. This is Jessica, Mike, Eric, and Owen." The group nodded at me, some of the smiling, a couple of them looking wary.

"It's very nice to meet you. I'm Freya Lust," I introduced myself.

The girl- Angela- laughed.

"I know," I sighed. "My mom had quite the sense of humor- naming her kid after a goddess of love, when her last name is Lust. I get that a lot. But hey…is everybody here treating you ok?" I asked them. "Some of the boys can get a bit…" I struggled to find the right word, "obnoxious," I finally decided with a nod. "Especially around kids that aren't from the reservation."

"They've been fine," the girl that was introduced to me as Jessica assured me. "They've left us a lone well enough."

I frowned. "Left you alone? I told them to…ugh!" I threw my hands up with frustration. "Be right back," I muttered. I huffed over to Quil and Embry. "Guys!" I exclaimed angrily. "What are you doing?"

"Uh…playing football?" Quil replied nervously, holding up a brown football for me to see.

I sighed. "Could you at least invite Bella's friends to join you? They're all alone over there…and I told you to include any guests that might grace us with their presence," I glared.

"Take a chill pill, Clip," Embry grinned, ruffling my hair as he bounded off toward the fire. "We're on it." Pretty soon, Eric, Owen, and Mike had joined the two wolves in a game of football on the beach. I was left alone with the two girls.

"So…" Jessica began, twirling her hair nervously.

"How do you like your school?" I asked. I'd always been curious about Forks High School- my dad taught there, but he never really allowed me to come visit him. Probably because of all the vampires roaming the halls. I shuddered. I could only imagine what it must be like to go to school with the leeches stinking up the hallways.

"It's ok," she shrugged. "I mean, school's school- you show up, see your friends, and get out. Am I right?"

I shrugged, not quite seeing eye-to-eye with her on this subject, since I- being the nerd that I am- personally loved school. Sensing that I had failed in this topic, I patiently moved on to something else. After about ten minutes of trying to talk to the girl, I decided that it was quite unlikely that we would ever agree on anything. I gave myself an excuse to leave the conversation and then did so quickly.

As I was walking away, I thought about changing my mind, sitting back down, and trying again…but I'd never been one to force my friendship down anybody's throats. Besides- Jessica and Angela looked much more relaxed than when I'd been trying to start up a conversation. I sighed, and walked down the beach to where the boys were playing football.

"Mind if I play?" I asked Quil.

"Sure," he replied. "You guys want her?" he asked the opposing team. They looked at each other, then looked at me.

"Nah," Mike shrugged. "You can have her."

"Suit yourself," I grinned. Quil, Embry, and I huddled up together in a fashion that I was absolutely certain looked over-the-top-cheesy, working out our plan of action in quiet whispers. "Break!" I cried when we were done.

"Hey!" Quil whined. "I'm captain- I get to say break!"

"Then just go ahead and say it next time," I grinned. "It's too late to whine like a girl about it now."

Quil grumbled as he got into position. He got my attention, and our eyes locked. He raised his eyebrows, and I nodded, grinning.

As soon as Quil gave the signal, Embry went after Mike, and I took off running straight toward the biggest guy on the other team- Owen. His eyes lit up in surprise as I tackled him, bringing him easily to the ground. Embry brought down Mike, and Quil was easily able to avoid Eric. He scored the touchdown.

"Way to go, Quil!" I exclaimed, laughing as I got back on my feet. I held my hand out to Owen, grinning. "You alright there?" I asked him.

He hesitated for a moment, but eventually, he took my hand and allowed me to help him up to his feet. "That was…impressive," he admitted. "Sorry we underestimated you."

I shrugged. "Happens all the time- doesn't it, Embry? Quil?" I turned to the other wolves, my hands on my hips.

"We do not underestimate you, Clip," Quil replied with a roll of his eyes. "Otherwise I'd be calling you Freya right now."

I punched him in the shoulder playfully. "Was that even supposed to hurt?" he asked, his eyes sparkling with laughter.

"Let's just play already," I grumbled. He and Embry laughed, but they handed the ball over to the other team. Owen, Mike, and Eric huddled up, whispering. Embry, Quil, and I did the same- but we weren't really making plans. Quil and Embry were having a heated discussion about whether bacon flavored ice cream was ethical or not, while I struggled not to collapse with laughter.

"You ready?" Owen asked us.

"Just a minute!" I gasped, clutching my side, still unable to stifle my laughter.

"Shut up, Clip," Embry chuckled. "We've got a game to play."

I nodded, finally calming down. "Alright," I nodded, taking a deep breath. "I'm ok."

When both teams were finally paying attention- oops- Owen handed the ball off to Eric. I began to chase after the awkward, uncoordinated teenager, when I was knocked off my feet, and onto the sandy ground. Moments later, I realized that Owen was pinning me down, breathing heavily.

"Hi," he grinned from above me.

"Hi," I replied with a smile. For the first time, I noticed…he had really pretty, sea-green eyes. They were covered by the reddish-brown hair that was hanging in his face. My own hair was in my face as well, and Owen brushed a strand of my chestnut brown locks behind my ear. As soon as his hand brushed my cheek, I knew it had been a mistake. The incredible spark that flew between us was impossible for me to ignore. My eyes grew wide, still unable to look away. It was harder for me to breathe all of a sudden, and my heart was pounding. Owen's eyes were still locked on mine, and he was beginning to lean closer…

I coughed. "Owen."

He blinked. "Yeah."

"You're kind of pinning me to the ground," I reminded him.

"Oh…right. Sorry," he apologized. He stood up, offering me his hand. I ignored it, and stood up on my own.

"I'll see you guys around, ok?" I said as I hurried off in the opposite direction.

That did not just happen.

That did so, so, so, so _SO _not just happen! It was impossible- Sam had told me before that it was impossible!

Then why couldn't I get those eyes out of my mind?

I ran toward the bonfire, looking for Sam. When I finally found his large frame, I pulled him aside. "Sam, explain," I begged.

"Explain what?" he asked, taking a large bite out of a hot dog he'd recently finished toasting over the fire. "Life? Death? Trigonometry? There are some things none of us understand, Freya."

I rolled my eyes. "Sam. I thought you said that female wolves can't imprint."

"I didn't think they could," he shrugged.

"Then what the _hell_ just happened back there?!" I exclaimed, gesturing to where Owen was playing football with the others. My eyes lingered on his finely toned arms. I gave myself a quick mental shake, and continued. "One second, he's just some guy Bella brought along from school, then he goes and tackles me, and all of a sudden…"

"Wait," Sam grinned. "He _tackled_ you?"

"I tackled him first," I waved off his question.

"Oh, I see how it is. Little Miss Warrior Goddess made the first move," he teased me.

"Sam!" I groaned. "Please! Of all the times for you _not_ to be serious…"

He chuckled, ruffling my hair. "Look, Freya. I don't know nearly as much you all think I do about imprinting. I don't know why werewolves do it- I have theories, but no way to prove any of them. I could easily be wrong. Maybe it is possible for female wolves to imprint. Or maybe…you've just developed a little crush," he teased again.

I glared. "You know me, Sam- I don't get crushes."

"Oh?" He raised his eyebrows.

"I don't like Jake, ok?" I snipped. "I never did, I never will."

"Hmm…defensive…"

"Sam."

He just laughed at me. "Go- enjoy the bonfire. This is your night, after all- the telling of the tribal stories is, of course, meant mostly for the pack. Maybe you can spend some quality time with Owen."

"You are no help," I snapped. I turned angrily on my heel, and headed to where Jacob was sitting on one of the logs. Bella had finally remembered that she'd invited friends along, and was trying to make them feel comfortable. I plopped myself down next to Jake.

"You ok?" he asked me, looking concerned.

"I'm fine," I replied angrily.

He pulled the marshmallow he'd been roasting over the fire off its stick, and handed it to me. It was at that stage where the outside was the perfect stage of golden brown. I took it with a sigh, stuffing the whole thing in my mouth.

"Wow," Jake chuckled. "Somebody's upset. What's up, Clip?"

I sighed. "I'm only telling you this because you're going to find out on patrol tomorrow night anyway," I warned him.

"That bad?" he asked. The way we wolves' minds were joined together when we phased made it incredibly difficult to keep secrets. I was usually pretty good at keeping my thoughts private- I wasn't called Calypso for nothing- but if something was bothering me enough, everybody would know.

I nodded. "I'm afraid so, Jake," I sighed, resting against his arm. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder.

"Go ahead," he prompted me. "What's buggin' ya, kid?"

I sighed. "It's Owen," I admitted.

"Bella's friend?"

I nodded. "Yeah. The big one- reddish brown hair, sea-blue eyes…" I sighed. "Gorgeous smile…"

"Oh, no, Clip," Jake groaned. "You didn't fall in love with him, or something stupid like that, did you?"

"Worse," I admitted, my head falling in shame. "I'm afraid that I might have imprinted on him."

"Shit, Freya," Jake commented, looking shocked. I knew what he was thinking- he was certain that I had just become Owen's eternal slave, and that he and I would be forced to love each other until the day we died...he'd explained his thinking on imprinting more than enough times for me to know what his thoguths were. I just hoped and prayed that imprinting hadn't been the cause of the reaction I'd been having to those eyes...

"Yeah," I nodded. "That's what I was thinking, too."

"Don't you know?" he asked. "Whether or not you imprinted?"

I shrugged. "You'd think I would realize it if I had…but I don't know. Sam had always said it was impossible for me or Leah to imprint."

"Then…I suppose you'll just have to find out," Jake shrugged.

"How?" I asked, scoffing.

"Stay away from him," he suggested. "See how long that lasts."

"So…just…ignore him?" I asked, trying to make sense out of his twisted advice.

"Yup. Or try to, at least. If what I've heard from Jared and Sam is true, you won't last very long," he yawned. "Hey, did Sam say when they Elders were going to start?"

I shook my head. "No. But it should be soon."

"Hey, Jake," Bella greeted him happily as she sat down on his other side. Mike, Jessica, Angela, Eric, and Owen sat behind us on another log.

"Freya," Owens voice was whispering.

"Ignore it," Jacob reminded me. I nodded, and did so.

When the tribe Elders retold the Quileute legends for the millionth time since I'd been born, my usual sense of peace that I felt when the stories were told was interrupted. Owen was poking me in the back with a stick, trying to get my attention. I spun around to glare at him…but I made the mistake of looking into his eyes and I couldn't help but smile.

This was going to be harder than I thought.

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If you read this first chapter, you're already awesome!! If you leave a review...you're just plain amazing:D Go ahead- write me a review. You and I both know you're dying to find out what happens next :D


	2. It's All Part of the Job

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Twilight. :)**

Well, here's chapter two. Enjoy!

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**Chapter Two**

I kept thinking about him the rest of the night. Owen. When I went home to get some sleep, I dreamed about him. And then, during my rounds with Jake the next evening, Owen was all I could think about.

_Come on, Clip,_ Jake sighed. _If you can't ignore the guy, there's absolutely no hope for the rest of us. _

I just rolled my eyes. _Why are you so afraid of imprinting, Jake? Because of Bella? _

_Shut up about Bella,_ he snapped.

_Sorry. _

We ran in silence for a while, each of us lost in our own thoughts. Eventually, I realized that I was getting really bored.

_Please don't start singing,_ Jake begged, beginning to see where my thoughts were going.

_Don't you like my singing? _

_Of course. Just not at two in the morning. Sorry, kid- it's too early for breaking out into song. _

_Pssh- it's never too early to break out into song!_

_You belong in some Broadway musical. _

_I know. Thanks! _

_Ugh. Of all the people to get stuck on midnight patrol with…Clip, pay attention, will you? We've still got that redhead running around. _

_Right. Focus. I'm focused, Jake,_ I assured him.

He huffed. He was obviously frustrated with me. I laughed silently to myself- irritating my patrol partner was one of the few things that kept me from going crazy out in the woods in the middle of the night.

_You got another hour left in you?_ Jake asked.

_Yeah- why? You got to get home early or something?_

_Billy's yelling for me,_ he sighed. _Up at the house. I'll call Sam- will you be alright out here by yourself for a few minutes? _

_I'm not a child, Jake,_ I barked angrily._ I'll be fine. _

He, of course, just laughed. _Alright, but be careful, Clip. _

_Always am. _

Jake phased, and I could no longer feel his presence in my mind. Too bad- he was fun to irritate. I sighed, feeling suddenly very, very alone.

A wolf wasn't used to being alone. I'm used to always having another wolf around me…whether it be in my thoughts, or sitting by me in Chemistry. We stick together, like a family. We _were_ a family- and a loud family, at that. The silence that had begun to suffocate me the moment Jacob phased back was overwhelming, but I tried to take advantage of it and let my thoughts wander as my golden paws pounded the ground silently, pulling me through the woods on a path I had come to know so well I could run it with my eyes closed.

I wondered what Owen was doing.

_Probably sleeping,_ Sam replied.

I growled. _You shouldn't sneak up on people like that, Sam. _

_Sorry,_ he apologized. _How's it going? Found anything…interesting yet? _

_Nope. Nothing at all, not even a strand of hair,_ I sighed. _I can't even smell her. She isn't here anymore- she left. _

_But she'll come back,_ Sam assured me. _And she'll keep coming back until we kill her…or until she kills Bella. _

_Why do we care so much about Bella? _

_Freya. You know why,_ he scolded me. _Jacob is part of this pack, too. _

_No…I know why we protect her…but why do we _care?_ She's kind of a jerk. Did you see the way she completely ditched her friends so she could talk to Jake? And did you see how she was flirting with him! God! Sometimes I just want to slap her across the face and remind her that she's got a bloodsucking boyfriend waiting for her to cross the boundary! _

_Calm down, child,_ he chuckled. _Bella is a nice girl. She's…easily distracted, is all. But she's got good intentions. _

_I know, _I sighed. _It's the thought that counts. _

_There you go. That's the attitude I'm looking for. Come on- one last sprint and then we'll call it a night. _

_Sounds good! _I replied excitedly. If there was anything that I could do well, it was run. I dug my claws into the Earth, pushing myself further and faster than I'd been going all night. I sprinted once more through the forest, a huge wolfish grin on my face that I was sure would have looked menacing if someone had seen it. When I at last arrived at Emily and Sam's house, I took the clothes Emily offered me and trotted back into the woods to phase.

"Thanks, Emily," I said, sticking my head in her home quickly to say goodnight.

"Won't you stay and get something to eat?" she asked with a frown. "I could make you some eggs or something."

"No, it's fine," I smiled. "Dad hates it when I take the late rounds. I should be getting home."

"I'll get you something for the road," she offered. "Stay."

I sighed, rolling my eyes. Emily was so overprotective. It wasn't as if I were going to drop over dead because I didn't eat a roll on my way home from rounds. All I wanted at this point was a cold shower and my warm bed. However, I waited in the doorway until Emily returned with a basket full of muffins.

"Take one," she ordered.

I sighed again, reaching into the basket. It didn't matter to me what kind of muffin I got- anything in the basket would have been made by Emily and thus be incredibly delicious. "Say hello to your father for me," she smiled, kissing me on the cheek.

"Will do, Emily," I promised. "See you tomorrow!"

She waved at me as I jogged down the steps. I skidded to a halt when I almost ran straight into Sam.

"Sorry," I apologized with a laugh. "Thanks, by the way," I added as an afterthought. "For covering for Jake."

"My pleasure," he grinned. He gave me a high five, which quickly turned into a headlock.

"Let me go!" I laughed, trying to squirm away from him as he dug his knuckles into my scalp.

"Sam!" Emily barked. "Freya's got to get home."

"See you around, kid," he grinned, pushing me away from him in the direction of my house.

"Bye, Sam, Emily!" I waved to them, smiling. I made my way home slowly, taking bites out of the delicious blueberry muffin as I went. By the time I actually reached the house, nearly an hour had passed and my dad was in a panic. Riff, my older brother, was looking quite bored.

"Dad, she's right there," he pointed out as I walked through the door.

"Freya Selene Beckett," he growled.

"Hey, Dad!" I replied with a grin. "I'm going to go take a shower, then head off to bed. I've got rounds tomorrow afternoon starting at three." I walked right by him, and I swear I could feel heat radiating off his back. That's how angry he was. But then again…my dad was always angry these days.

"Hey," Riff greeted me, falling into step behind me as I climbed up to my room. "How were rounds?"

I rolled my eyes. "Jacob bailed an hour before we were done."

"Again?" Riff cried. "I told Sam to quit leaving you out there by yourself!"

"He didn't! Relax!" I chuckled. "Sam covered for him. He at least likes my singing voice."

"So dramatic," he muttered.

"I'm dramatic?" I asked, raising my eyebrows at his little display earlier. "Hypocrite."

Riff chuckled. "Night, little sis." He kissed me on the forehead, and left me alone so that I could shower and get to bed.

I slept in late the next morning- the way I always did after late night patrol. I finally got myself out of bed with a yawn around noon. By then, of course, Riff and Dad had already eaten, and they had both left for work.

I didn't really feel like cooking that afternoon. I left the house, locking the door behind me, and began the walk toward Emily's.

"Knock, knock!" I called as I strolled into the living room. "Hey, Emily! Paul, Quil," I greeted the wolves lounging on Emily's couch.

"Hey, Clip," Quil grinned. Paul nodded- he'd never really liked me, much. I shrugged, and came to sit between the two.

"Good afternoon, Freya," Emily greeted me, coming into the living room with a plate full of food.

She handed it to me unceremoniously- this was a routine for us. "Bless you, Emily," I groaned as I dug my fork into the eggs like a shovel.

"Haven't you eaten breakfast this morning?" Quil asked with a concerned frown.

I rolled my eyes. "I had the late patrol. Again." I glared at him. I'd had to take over his midnight rounds because Claire, his two-year-old imprint, had needed a babysitter.

"Sorry," he shrugged. "Claire-bear needed me."

"Ugh," I groaned. "You imprints are so annoyingly optimistic."

"That'll be you next week," he countered with an evil grin. "All lovey-dovey over Owen."

"Shut up!" I exclaimed. I could feel my hands start to shake.

"Back off, man," Paul warned. "Don't want to tick off Clip." He had a point. I was young…and I still didn't have a whole lot of control over my emotions. When I got really mad, like I was now, it was difficult for me not to phase.

"She's got to face the facts, Paul," Quil continued. "She imprinted. On Owen. It happened, it's over. I heard what Jacob told you at the bonfire, and he's wrong. You can't just ignore him, Freya. He's your imprint now."

"He is not my imprint!" I yelled. I was seriously shaking now. I felt Sam lift me up by the collar of my shirt, and toss me toward the door.

"Not in my house. Sorry, kid," he apologized as he slammed the door behind me.

I was still really ticked off, so I decided to do the one thing that always calmed me down. I deposited my clothes behind a tree and phased. Then, I took off running.

The nice thing about being smaller than the others was the fact that I could run where people were walking. I could dash across the street, and nobody would scream, "Oh, my God, it's a wolf! Get the gun!" All they'd see was a homeless golden retriever on steroids. Thus, I didn't need to worry about where I was running- I could just run.

So I did. I ran. I ran down the beach, into the forest. I ran until I got to a meadow.

Of course, my fun had to be ruined when I saw a sparkling teenage boy who closely resembled a bear in the process of sucking a deer dry.

Vampire.

I padded closer to him, getting ready to attack. But then I realized that attacking could very well mean the end of me- Sam would skin me alive if he found out I'd broken the treaty and attacked a Cullen.

"Oh…hey," Emmett greeted me, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. "Just getting some breakfast- the most important meal of the day, you know."

I nodded, looking at the deer. There was still a little blood left on the meat.

"You hungry?" he asked.

My stomach growled. I was starving. I hadn't eaten dinner before my patrol the previous night, and I hadn't gotten to finish my breakfast before Quil began verbally harassing me. But I hated eating raw.

"You can have it," he shrugged. "I was getting full anyway- took down a grizzly a few miles north of here." Emmett grinned, obviously quite proud of himself.

I trotted toward the deer, sniffing it. I didn't smell any venom in the meat- vampire venom was extremely poisonous to werewolves, and I didn't really feel like dying at the moment. I took a bite, chewing the raw meat carefully.

"Aw, come on!" Emmett cried, obviously disappointed. "You're a wolf, aren't you? Eat it like a wolf!" I looked up at him, confused. Why did he care?

Then I realized that he was teasing me.

I growled. I didn't appreciate comments about my size. Just to prove him wrong, I dug my snout into the dear, ripping off a huge chunk of flesh, swallowing it whole.

"That's more like it," he grinned, approvingly. "Which one are you again? I get you all mixed up…"

"Freya," Edward greeted me, coming out from behind one of the trees. "What are you doing in this part of the woods?"

I shrugged, and collapsed onto the grass, my head resting on my paws.

"Guess she's not having such a great day, huh?" Emmett mused.

I barked a laugh. He could say that again.

"Why don't you phase?" Edward suggested.

I shook my head. I'd left my clothes outside Emily and Sam's house. Edward shrugged. "Suit yourself. Oh…I don't know if I ever thanked Jacob, for having you guys make rounds around Bella's house. Thank you."

I nodded. I'd been spending the past three nights running circles around the human's home, having to smell the vampire stench that absolutely radiated from the place…

"Sorry about that," he apologized. "There really isn't much we can do…"

I shrugged. _It's part of the job._

_Part of what job?_ Jacob asked.

_Ugh, Jake,_ I groaned. _What are you doing? _

_I've got patrol this afternoon,_ he replied. _Thought you did, too. Huh. Funny. _

_I started my patrol half an hour ago,_ I replied, grinning to myself. That's about when I left Emily and Sam's place. _Haven't seen any sign of the red head. _

_Me neither…were you talking to yourself? _He sounded suspicious.

_Nah. Found some stray Cullens in the meadow. _

_What're you doing in the meadow? _

_What are you doing _not_ in the meadow_? I countered.

He huffed. _Just get your tail back to La Push and start your patrol. 'Kay? _

_Sure, whatever. _

_Got to go,_ I said apologetically to Edward. _Thanks for the deer,_ I said, looking directly at Emmett and licking my lips.

"No problem," the bear-like vampire shrugged, adjusting his baseball cap on his head. "See you around!" he called to me as I raced through the trees back to the reservation.

_You really shouldn't let them get to you like that,_ Jake muttered. _Quil. He doesn't know what he's talking about. _

_I'd say he knows more than you, _I replied. _I mean, he _has_ imprinted, after all. He would know what it's like…_

_Come on, kid. Please. You've been doing so well. Just keep it up. _

_Why do you care if I ignore Owen or not? _I asked, suddenly very suspicious. _This isn't about Bella, is it? _

_No, of course not,_ he answered, far too quickly. _It has nothing to do with her._

_Sure it doesn't, Jake. _

_You still going to try? _

_Of course I am!_ I replied angrily. _I want nothing more in the world than to be able to ignore Owen…_

_You don't know his last name, do you?_ Jake guessed.

_All for the better. _

_Good attitude,_ he said approvingly. _I'll go circle Bella's place- you go down to the beach. _

When my patrol was finally over, I received clean clothes from Emily- apparently Quil had seen where I'd hidden them earlier that afternoon- and I promptly fell asleep on her couch.

"Hey."

I moaned. "Five more minutes," I begged, still half asleep.

"Seriously, Clip. Get up," Paul ordered in that bossy, I'm-so-much-better-than-all-of-you way of his. "Now."

I opened my eyes, sitting up on Emily's couch. Paul, Quil, Jake, Embry, Seth, Collin, Brady, Sam, Emily, Leah…they were all here. "What's up?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.

"Here." Emily was holding out an apple. I took it gratefully- I could see that it was already dark out, and I hadn't eaten anything since Emmett's deer that afternoon.

"What happened?" I asked, taking a bite out of the deliciously juicy apple.

"Victoria," Jake supplied, a grimace etched upon his face. "She's gone hunting again. They found the body just a few hours ago."

"Who?" I asked, not wanting to believe it. It hadn't been my father, had it? We didn't always get along, but that didn't mean I wanted him dead. But oh God, had it been Riff? My big brother?

"You don't know him," Jake assured me when he saw how much news had made me freak out. "He lives down in Forks…"

"But this is getting way out of hand," Sam added, his face grim. "From now on, we're doubling shifts. I'll cut it down to three hours at a time, but there will be three of you per shift. Clip, you'll be getting the day shift to yourself," he said, nodding at me. "You're the only one that can really go out before five. As soon as you get home from school, you start your rounds. Can you handle that?"

I nodded. "Of course," I replied. "You still want me on the midnight shift?"

"If you don't mind."

I nodded again- of course I didn't mind! I was finally getting some pack responsibility.

He scheduled the rest of the patrol shifts in an uncharacteristically organized fashion- normally he just called us when he needed us to patrol.

"It's our job to protect the people of La Push," Sam finished gravely, just before he let us go home. "We haven't been doing that well. Three people in one week is unacceptable. I don't blame you all- you've been doing the best you can. But now we really need to lay down the law on this vampire."

We all agreed, nodding solemnly. One of the greatest failures a werewolf can face is the knowledge that one of the people they were supposed to be protecting has been murdered. It was shameful, and it had happened on my watch- just around one in the morning the night before.

"Go home and get some sleep," Sam suggested. "Until we catch this leech, you're all going to need it."

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	3. Here He Comes to Save the Day?

**Disclaimer: Twilight isn't mine- it belongs to Stephanie Meyer. **

**I really hope you enjoy this next chapter! And if there's anybody out there...leave me a review!! I'm starting to think I'm just talking to myself here;)**

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Chapter Three

Boy, was the new schedule exhausting.

For over a week, my life consisted of waking up at six to get to school on time, coming home and immediately starting my patrol, coming home to do my homework, napping for a couple hours, going back on patrol until three in the morning and then finally falling asleep on the couch, too tired after the long day to make it upstairs to my bed. Then I'd start it all over again.

I felt like a zombie, the way I went about my days. The others noticed. They helped me out in school, letting me copy their homework when I'd fallen asleep working on it the night before, and distracting the teachers so that I could get a few minutes of much-needed sleep in class. Normally, these actions would have been inexcusable for me- I really was a model student. But…desperate times called for desperate measures.

They were all getting really worried about me. I could tell. I was the smallest in the pack- the runt of the litter. Each and every one of them felt like it was their own personal responsibility to keep me safe. Their obvious worry over my health only made me run faster and longer when I went out for patrol.

"You've got to quit doing that, Freya," Sam ordered me when I dropped by Emily's after my afternoon rounds.

"What?" I asked, too innocent.

"You know what I'm talking about," he growled. "You're an hour late."

I shrugged. "So? Means someone gets an extra hour of sleep tonight."

"Freya…" he glared at me, his tone warning.

I laughed. "Sam, chill. It isn't a big deal, really."

He sighed. "You can't keep pushing yourself like this. You're scaring us, Clip- you work harder than anybody, and the boys tell me you walk around like the living dead at school. You'll kill yourself if you keep this up."

I shook my head. "I'm fine, Sam. I'm a part of this pack, and as a member of this pack, I've got responsibilities. Just because I'm a little smaller than the rest of you does not mean that I shouldn't be able to hold up my end of the work."

"You don't have to prove yourself to us," he said softly, his eyes pleading. "I don't want to make the order, Clip. I really don't. But if you keep pushing yourself this hard, I swear to God I will. If you're this late again…"

"Fine, Sam," I sighed. "I'll be on time tonight."

"Skip patrol tonight," he ordered.

"But—"

"Ah- don't argue. I'll have Quil cover for you- he more than owes you. Go home and get some rest."

"And get something to eat before you go," Emily called from the kitchen. Whatever she was cooking smelled wonderful.

After a delicious meal of soup and Emily's famous cornbread muffins, I made my way home and settled down for a badly needed nap.

That evening, I decided that I would take advantage of night off. It was Riff's birthday in a week, and I still hadn't gotten him a present. I grabbed my purse, and the keys to my brother's pick up truck and drove up to Port Angeles.

I already knew where I wanted to go. There was a small bookstore, right across from the department store my mother used to take me to when I was little. I smiled at the memory of my mother, her golden hair gleaming in the sunlight as she walked with me back out to the car, holding onto my hand as we cross the street over to the parking lot, laughing as I rambled away at how pretty my new dress was and how I couldn't wait until Christmas so that I could wear it…

I shook myself out of the past, and back into the present. I opened the door to the small bookstore and stepped inside.

"Freya!" the owner of the store, a slight woman with dirty blonde hair that was almost always done up in an elaborate bun exclaimed. "I've missed you! Where'd you disappear to?"

I smiled. "Hey, Mrs. L," I greeted Cynthia Laurence. My mother had always been an avid reader- a trait she'd passed on to me. I used to love going to the book store. Mrs. L and I were practically on a first-name basis.

"School's been hectic," I explained with a smile and a roll of my eyes. "You don't have anything you think Riff would like, do you? It's his birthday next week, and I'm afraid I haven't gotten his present yet," I confessed.

"Well…I don't know if an old woman like me will know what a young man such as Riff would find a good read…"

"You aren't old, Mrs. L," I grinned.

"You're too kind, my dear," she smiled at me. "Just a moment…I think I have someone who might be able to help you."

She disappeared into the back room of the store, and I waited patiently, picking up a Michael Crichton novel and flipping through it.

"Science fiction, huh?"

I spun around on my heels, my eyes wide with surprise. "Owen?" I gaped.

"Hey, Freya," he grinned. "I haven't seen you in a while."

"I…I've been busy," I stuttered, still far to surprised to speak coherently.

"Owen, dear, do you mind watching the store for me? I've got to meet my daughter over at the dress shop in an hour- apparently I am in need of a makeover," she chuckled.

"You look beautiful," I argued. "Tell that daughter of yours that she doesn't know what she's talking about."

She chuckled. "Again, you're too kind. I hope Owen can help you find something for your brother." She waved at us as she walked out the door, a manipulative grin on her face.

"That little…" I muttered under my breath.

Owen just sort of laughed. "I'm sorry about that," he apologized. "Mrs. Laurence can be a little…well…" he struggled to find the words.

"It's fine," I sighed, shaking my head. "I've known her for years."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah," I replied. "My mom was really big on reading, and this was her favorite store…"

"Your mom sounds cool," he grinned.

I smiled, the memories of the beautiful golden haired woman coming back to me for the second time that day. "She was," I agreed. Suddenly, I remembered Jake's words. _Ignore him, Clip. _"I…I've got to go," I said in a rush.

"What about your brother?" he asked.

"Riff's never been that into books, anyway," I sighed. "Bye."

"Wait! I'm sorry, I didn't know about your mom—"

"Goodbye, Owen," I said once more before swinging the door shut behind me violently, making the small bell above the door ring angrily. I got into my brother's car, and drove a couple blocks away. I parked behind a deserted warehouse, laying my head on the steering wheel. Somehow, I couldn't get the look on Owen's face when I'd ditched him out of my mind.

Suddenly, my head popped back up when I heard an angry knocking on the car's window. There was a man, probably a college student, holding a beer bottle in his hand and swaying slightly.

"What do you want?" I snapped angrily at the man.

"Come on out, sweetheart," he pleaded, grinning at me. His teeth were an unhealthy shade of yellow.

"Back off, or I swear I'll run this truck right over you," I growled at him.

"Ooo," another college student replied, coming out from the shadow of the building. He was followed by three others. "Scary."

"I'm not joking," I warned him, trying to keep my voice cool.

"Come on," a third man begged. "Please? We just want to talk…"

I opened the car door, getting ready to phase and chase them all off. However, my plan didn't work out so well when the man grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me closer to him.

"Get _off!_" I cried.

"Come on, we aren't that bad," the man grinned.

"Let go of me," I ordered.

"No." He pulled himself closer to me, pressing me against the truck with my hands above my head. His lips crushed mine.

I tried to scream, tried to push him away, but he wouldn't budge. He just continued to kiss me. I wanted to vomit- he tasted like stale liquor and smoke. It was disgusting, but there wasn't anything I could do about it. This realization hit me hard, and tears slipped down my cheeks. I kicked him.

He roared with anger. He brought his fist back, and it collided with my face. I heard something crack- I realized that it was my nose. I hit him back, splitting his lip. He growled, and pulled out a blade. Two of his other friends came up and held me up against the car, their hands on my neck. The man cracked an evil grin as he pressed the blade to my neck.

Out of nowhere, a fist collided with the man's face. He let go of me, stumbling backward while his friends laughed. I slid to the ground, shaking, still unable to stop the tears. I had never been more afraid in my life.

"Stay away from her," Owen growled.

"You want a fight, do you, boy?" the man slurred, rolling up his sleeves. "Alright. We'll give you a fight."

Owen rolled up his own sleeves, forming his hands into fists. Idiot- he was going to fight them, five on one.

"Owen," I murmured, still quite shaken up by the ordeal.

The first man jumped him, silver blade gleaming. I heard Owen shout out in pain, and then I saw him fall, his head hitting the ground hard. I hurried behind the car, stripped off my clothes and phased.

The men screamed at the sight of the golden wolf that advanced slowly toward them. The man with the blade stabbed my front leg, making a deep cut that had me stumbling forward. I growled at them, and they ran for it. I limped back behind my car, whining with each painful step, and phased again. I pulled the knife out of my right forearm and tossed it to the ground.

Fifteen minutes later, my eyes were completely focused on the road in front of me. Owen blinked, looking at me. "God…" he rubbed his head. "What happened?"

"You just about got yourself killed, that's what," I snapped.

"Freya? What happened to your arm?" he asked.

I knew my arm would be back to normal in a few minutes- I may not have been able to heal as quickly as the larger wolves, but it would eventually heal on its own. "Nothing," I replied.

"Where are we going?"

"You've got a lot of questions, you know?" My voice was cold, and snippy. "Idiot," I muttered.

"God, you're bleeding," he whispered, his eyes wide.

"Yeah, so are you, smart one," I retorted. "We're almost to the hospital. I don't know if you've got a concussion or what, so…try not to fall asleep."

I turned the radio up loud in an attempt not only to keep Owen from passing out again, but also to keep him from asking any more questions. My one day off of making rounds, and I spent it babysitting this nosy little human. He wasn't even from the reservation- he shouldn't have been my responsibility. Yet, here I was, pulling into the hospital parking lot.

"Come on," I ordered, parking the car. I helped him walk into the hospital. "I need to speak to Dr. Cullen," I told the receptionist. "Tell him it's Jake's friend."

She nodded, and paged the good doctor. Moments later, we were in his examination room. Owen was sitting on the table in the center of the room, while I occupied a chair in the corner.

"What happened?" Carlisle asked.

I rolled my eyes. "Owen here decided he was going to fight five drunken college guys. On his own."

"Oh, so this is my fault?" he raged. "If you hadn't stormed out of the store in the first place, you wouldn't have been in that mess!" Oh, great. His temper seemed almost as bad as Paul's…and his ego was twice as big. Even Paul wouldn't have taken on five drunken college kids all on his own.

"I was doing just fine before you showed up!" I argued.

"Oh, yeah, you were doing great," he replied. "He was about to slice your throat."

"I had it covered!"

"Sit down, Freya," Carlisle sighed. I hadn't even realized that I'd stood up. I sat down, my hands trembling and breathing hard. "If you can't control yourself, go wait outside," the doctor warned me.

"I'm fine," I huffed, folding my arms over my chest. I took a deep breath, closing my eyes. "I'm sorry," I apologized gruffly, not looking at Owen. "I shouldn't have yelled at you like that."

"I accept your apology."

Neither of us looked at each other while Carlisle stitched up Owen's arm, which had received a pretty deep cut from the man with the knife. When he was done, he grabbed my elbow, and examined the stab wound on my arm.

"You didn't tell me you'd been cut, too," he scolded me. He pulled me back into the room and had me sit in the spot Owen had so recently vacated.

"I thought you know," I shrugged. I figured the bloodsucker had been able to smell the blood. Guess he hadn't noticed.

"I should clean this out, at least," he sighed. "Stay still."

He reached for a bottle of rubbing alcohol, and dabbed it on a cotton swab. He then proceeded to clean out the wound. It stung like crazy, but I tried my best not to let it show on my face. Carlisle wrapped some gauze around my arm tightly. "That should be good enough," I said.

He nodded. "Call me if you need anything."

"No problem. And…thank you, Carlisle."

"Just because your friends don't necessarily like me doesn't mean that we don't like you," he smiled.

I blushed, and waved goodbye.

"Where to?" I asked Owen.

"Oh, no," he frowned. "I'm driving."

"You just got a concussion," I reminded him. "There is no way I'm letting you drive my brother's truck. Get in, and put your seatbelt on."

He must have seen the logic in my eyes, because he got in the passenger side of the car and fastened his seatbelt. "Where to?" I asked him with a sigh, adjusting my mirrors. This wasn't how I'd planned to spend my night off- chauffeuring Owen around.

"I left my car in Port Angeles."

"Right." I started the ignition, and pulled out onto the highway that would lead me to the small bookstore Owen worked at.

"Look…Freya," Owen began.

I shook my head. "I don't really want to hear it," I stopped him.

"You don't even know what I was going to say."

"I honestly don't care," I sighed. I was beginning to get a killer headache. "I've had a really crappy night, and I'm honestly not in the mood for talk. Ok? I just want to go home and sleep."

"I'm sorry," he apologized.

"It isn't your fault," I reminded him. "I was the one that opened the car door. That was pretty stupid." I sighed. The sleep deprivation must have finally driven me mad.

"Yeah," he agreed. "Really stupid, Freya."

"How's your arm?" I asked him. "It doesn't hurt too badly?"

"I'm fine," he replied, shrugging off my concern. "What about you? Are you sure you're alright?"

"Physically, I'm fine. I'm a little shaken up," I confessed. "I've never been that terrified in my life." I shuddered at the memory of the man's lips on mine.

We sat in the car in silence for a while. It was an awkward silence. I don't know what he was thinking about, but I was thinking about how close I had come to getting this boy- my possible imprint- killed. I shuddered at the thought of Owen dead…because of my own stubbornness and stupidity. I would be more careful from now on.

"Freya," he mumbled under his breath.

"What?" I asked.

"Oh…I was just thinking…"

"Wow. Congratulations."

He glared at me, and continued. "I was thinking about your name. It's so strange- Freya."

I blushed. "Are you calling my parents strange?" I demanded, the bitter tone of my voice covering up my embarrassment. I hated my name.

"No." He shook his head. "I was thinking…about how creative they must be. Riff and Freya."

"Riff's real name is Tony. His middle name's Riff. My dad's a West Side Story fan," I explained, grinning to myself. "My mom was way into mythology. She had this crazy theory that whatever you named your kid would determine what they would be like when they got older," I chuckled. "So she named me after the goddess of love, beauty…and war."

He laughed with me. "My middle name, Selene? Greek goddess of marriage. My last name's Lust…that just screams 'teen mom', doesn't it?"

"That's funny," he admitted. "Really, really funny."

"Yeah. Well. The story behind the name's great, I'll admit, but I hate Freya," I groaned.

"You could always be like Riff, got by your middle name," he suggested.

"Nah…most of my friends call me Clip," I grinned.

"Clip?" he scoffed with a raised eyebrow.

"Yup," I nodded, smiling as I looked out at the road. It was beginning to get dark. I pressed down a little on the gasp pedal.

"Why Clip?"

I grinned at him mischievously. "If I told you, I'd have to kill you, Owen."

"Is that some kind of an inside joke?" he asked. "Clip?"

I nodded. "Yeah. You wouldn't get it…just call me Freya," I grimaced. "I swear, one of these days I am going to have my name legally changed…"

"Don't," he frowned. "I like your name. It's…special." He smiled at me. He did have a really nice smile…

My heart started racing, and my chest tightened, making it hard to breathe. I tore my gaze away from his irritatingly handsome face and back onto the road as I blushed, cursing myself for letting Owen affect me like this.

"You never did get anything for your brother," Owen reminded me.

"I'll take care of it some other time," I shrugged.

"I think I have just the thing he might like," he tempted me. "Mrs. Laurence probably closed down the store already, but I've got a key on me."

I found myself agreeing, and when we arrived at the store, Owen led me to the back, pulling out the Jurassic Park series.

"I loved these books, myself," he said. "Michael Crichton was a literary genius."

"This is perfect," I grinned. "Thanks, Owen!" I took out my wallet, and paid him for the books.

"You should be getting home," he reminded he put the books in a plastic sack with my receipt. "Your dad's got to be worried about you."

"Maybe," I shrugged. "Well…thanks for the books, Owen," I smiled. "And as stupid as it was to try and fight those guys…it was kind of sweet of you. You know…in a weird, sick kind of way."

He frowned. "Was that supposed to be a compliment?"

"Almost," I confirmed as I started to walk out the door.

"See you around?" he called after me.

I thought about it. Probably not- I rarely left the reservation. When I did leave, I never went down to Forks, unless I needed to visit my dad at the school. In all likelihood, I would never see Owen again…but then again, I really did love this store…

"Maybe," I replied at last. A huge grin lit up his face, and I couldn't help but smile myself as started up the truck and drove home.

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	4. The Wolf in Retirement Goes Overboard

**Hey! Sorry, it's been a few days since my last update, and this chapter's a little short...but I guess I'm just having some motivational issues with this right now. Leave me a review if you think this should continue. :) **

**Oh, and I still don't own Twilight:)**

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As I was driving home after dropping Owen off at the book store, my phone rang. "Crap," I muttered as I looked at the caller ID. It was my dad. I didn't know what else there was to do; I answered the phone and put it tentatively to my ear. "Dad? Hi." I couldn't help but notice how very small my voice was.

"Where are you?" he practically screamed. "Sam said he let you off early tonight! You've got a mountain of homework to finish, and your brother needs his truck back!"

"Sorry, Dad, chill!" I replied. "I went to get Riff his present. I'm heading back to La Push now. I'll see you twenty minutes."

"Fine," he grumbled. "I _will_ speak to you when you get back, young lady."

I hung up the phone, stuffing it in my pockets. "Not if I can help it," I muttered under my breath, feeling quite clever with myself as I turned into Emily and Sam's driveway. Sure, it was nearly nine at night, but I'd told my dad twenty minutes- which gave me a good fifteen minutes before I had to go home.

"Freya!"

I looked up as I put the truck into park to see Jacob Black running toward me, werewolf style. Within seconds he'd reached the car- thanks to the abnormally long strides he was taking. He threw open the car door, and pulled me into a giant hug.

"You had us all so worried," he breathed, his face buried in my hair.

"I just went shopping, Jake," I chuckled. "No need to freak out."

"That's a load of crap and you know it, Freya." He held me out at arm's length, and I could tell just how worried he was. I could see Sam and Emily standing by the door. Was it just me or…were Emily's eyes a bit red? I felt awful, about how stupid I'd been- Emily was the strongest woman I'd ever met. She never cried.

"Carlisle called us," Jacob explained. "He told us what happened. Are you alright?"

It was then that the full force of what had happened to me that night hit. I shook my head, tears streaming down my face. Jake held me while I cried. "You're ok now," he soothed me. "That's never going to happen again- I promise. I'm here- you're safe."

It was sweet, the way he comforted me. He was so…so patient. His very presence was calming me down. I let my head rest against his chest, squeezing my eyes shut, trying to block out the memories of earlier that night.

"I'm sorry," I sniffed once I'd finally gotten a hold on myself. "I…I hate it when you guys see me cry." The only emotion that ever got the best of the other wolves- Jared, Quil, Embry, Paul, even Leah- was anger. I guess…I just wasn't quite as strong as they were. I closed my eyes, blood rushing to my face with the shame of letting anybody catch me like this.

"It's ok to cry every once in a while," Jake smiled at me. "We'll forgive you, you know."

"Thanks," I chuckled, wiping at my eyes. "Oh, God, Jake…I was so scared…"

"It's a good thing that Owen kid was there, huh?" he glared. "Idiot."

"Yeah, I know," I sighed.

Jake looked down at my arm, where Carlisle had wrapped gauze so tightly I thought it was beginning to cut off my circulation. "Freya…you're bleeding," he noted. "Let's get you cleaned up, alright?"

I nodded, and allowed him to lead me into the house. Emily cleaned the stab wound, which had already begun to heal, and wrapped it with more gauze. When she was finished, I looked at my watch and realized that I only had a few more minutes before I had to be home.

"I've got to go," I said apologetically. "My dad…he's waiting for me."

"Oh…why isn't he here?" Emily asked, frowning. "Doesn't he know?"

"No," I replied nervously. "And let's keep it that way, alright? I don't want him freaking out or anything." Not that he would. He'd just shrug it off, saying that werewolves heal quickly and I'd be fine.

And then he'd yell at me for being out so late.

Sam wrapped his arm around Emily's waist, looking at me with eyes full of concern. "Are you sure?" he asked me. "I don't know if your father would like to be kept in the dark about this…"

"Don't tell him," I pleaded. "Please. Don't tell anybody. It's in the past now- I'd like very much for it to stay there."

Sam sighed, nodding. "Alright, fine. Jake…why don't you drive the girl home?"

"Will do," he replied. I handed him the keys to Riff's car- I wasn't much in the mood for arguing with anyone over the possession of the driver's seat at the moment. "Jeez, Clip…you must be worse off than I thought," he frowned. "That was way too easy."

I rolled my eyes at him as I opened the passenger side door and climbed in.

"I'll clean it out for you tonight," Jake offered.

"What are you talking about?" I looked around the truck- it seemed alright to me. There were only a couple of papers scattering the floor, and a few granola bar wrappers from a couple mornings that week when Riff must have slept in a little late and had to eat in the car.

"You don't want to tell your dad, right?" he reminded me. "Well, he's going to find out when he sees all the blood everywhere, and the dent on the outside."

"The upholstery isn't supposed to have red polka dots, is it?" I sighed, noticing the dots and patches of deep red scattered all over the car. "Crap."

"Don't worry about it," Jake laughed. "I told you- I'll take Riff's truck later tonight and clean it out real quick. I'll have it back by morning and your dad won't know the difference."

"Thank you, so much," I sighed, feeling suddenly very relieved. "You are the best friend ever, Jacob Black."

"Yeah, I know," he grinned to himself. "I'm pretty darn amazing, aren't I?"

"Definitely," I humored him with a smile. By now Jake had the truck parked in front of my house. My dad was standing on the porch, looking quite upset. I sighed. "I'd been hoping to sneak through the window…Jake, mind doing me a favor?" I asked him.

"I'm already doing so much, Freya," he groaned dramatically. "What more do you want from me?"

I smacked the back of his head. "Cut it out, alright? Seriously. I don't want my dad to think I've been with a boy this whole time."

"You have been," he reminded me. "With Owen." Why did he keep saying that name as if it were the foulest curse ever invented?

"Yeah, but my dad really doesn't need to know that. Just…switch seats with me, alright? That's it."

He nodded, then went about the awkward business of getting me to the driver's seat. This involved Jake ducking under the cup holder that separated the two seats, crawling back up to the passenger seat, and then helping me back up after I'd fallen over. It was actually quite an impressive show of agility on Jake's part.

"Thank you," I breathed. "I'll leave the keys in here. Unless Dad takes them, in which case I'll have the spare in my room. Alright?"

He nodded. "Got it. Go ahead and get inside- your dad doesn't look to happy right now."

'Thanks again, Jake." I wrapped my arms around his neck in the best hug I could manage in the confined space of the car.

"No problem, Clip. Now go, before your dad comes and gets you."

I nodded. "Good idea. Tell Sam I'll be back for the afternoon patrol tomorrow, if you see him," I yawned.

I got out of the car and approached my father carefully. He was already ranting on about something.

"Dad, hey!" I said with a smile and a wave. "I got Riff the coolest present, he's really going to love it. I'm just going to go inside and wrap it up for him, so that I don't forget later…"

"Oh, no you don't, little missy," he growled, grabbing me by the hood of my jacket as he followed me into the house. "You and I are going to have a little chat, first."

"I'm sorry I took the truck," I apologized automatically, my voice flat. "I didn't mean to be out so long. I was at the bookstore, and Mrs. Laurence got talking…you remember how she is."

"You went to _her_ bookstore?" he asked, his eyes wide, as if the action were some sort of betrayal. "I told you never to go there again!"

"Dad, it's the only bookstore in Port Angeles. What was I supposed to do?"

Suddenly, his hand came down. I fell to the floor, my cheek burning. "Don't back talk me, child!" he yelled.

"Calm down, Dad!" I exclaimed as I saw my father's hands begin to shake. "I know that Mrs. L reminds you of Mom, but that doesn't mean you should get so worked up about this!"

"Don't speak to me about your mother!"

"Mom's gone!" I yelled. "Why can't you get that through your head? She's GONE! And she isn't coming back!"

He roared again, and I saw grey hairs appear on his head, and his teeth get longer.

Crap. Oh, crap, crap, crap. "Dad, take a deep breath," I reminded him, trying to keep my voice calm. I didn't think it was working too well, however- my father was shaking violently now, and I could see Riff standing on the stairs, looking down at the scene in shock.

"Riff, call Sam and get out of here," I ordered, my eyes never straying from my father, who was trying not to lose control.

"Freya—"

"Riff. Now."

He turned back up the stairs, his cell phone in his hands. Now all I had to do was keep Dad calm until Sam and the others arrived.

"Dad, remember what happened last time?" I reminded him, my voice shaking. "You don't want to phase…you could really hurt yourself. Mom…she wouldn't want you to hurt yourself. Please, calm down." My voice was pleading now. My father hadn't phased since I was a little girl. He'd been bitten by one of the vampires, and…well. He'd never quite gotten over it.

At the mention of my mother, however, he finally lost his self-control and exploded into a giant, sandy-brown wolf. He charged at me, and I did the only thing I could think of- I phased.

The wolf attacked me with a vengeance. He was a lot stronger than I'd thought he'd be- he easily tackled me, and had me pinned against the carpet. His sharp claws tore into my skin painfully.

I squirmed out from under him and ran outside. He followed me, lunging again. I dodged his attack- he may have been bigger, and stronger, but I was faster and more practiced.

_Help,_ I pleaded to any of the other wolves that may have been able to hear. _Please. _

_We're coming,_ I heard Sam's voice call. He was still at his house, and it was a two minute run from where my father and I were fighting on the front lawn.

I saw Riff standing at the edge of the lawn, about to come running toward us. My dad noticed, and began to charge at his son. It broke my heart to do it, but…I jumped on him, my claws digging into his back. He turned around again, and got a good bite at my neck.

I backed down, whimpering. I could see drops of blood on the grass, but I couldn't tell whether it was from me or my father. He pounced on me again, pinning me to the ground and biting every inch of me he could reach.

"Markus!"

My father turned his head toward the noise. There stood three wolves- I recognized Sam, Jared, and Paul- and three people. Jake, Embry, and Quil approached my father carefully. When he snarled at him, Sam took a step forward.

"Markus, calm down," Jake ordered. "You're going to kill her."

My father glanced at me. I looked into his eyes, and was terrified by what I saw. These weren't the eyes of a human being, with a soul- these were the eyes of a monster. An animal. I never realized what vampire venom could do to a werewolf…now I did. I could see that my father had no control over his actions. It was animal instinct that compelled him now.

Sam, Jared, and Paul stepped forward, dragging my father off of me. I tried to stand up- I stumbled. Embry, Quil, and Jake held me up and walked me toward the house, where Riff handed me a blanket. I phased in the bathroom, wrapping the blanket around myself.

"Freya, what happened to Dad?" Riff asked me, looking terribly shaken.

I shook my head. "He…he didn't mean it, Riff," I assured him. "He didn't know what he was doing."

"Somebody, call Carlisle!" Jake ordered as he and my brother helped me over to the couch.

"I am in so much trouble," I groaned. I wiped the blood from my mouth, realizing with a shudder that it was my father's. "I attacked him, Jake. I _bit _him- my own father."

"It's ok," he assured me. "He's going to be fine, and you're going to be fine. Riff, do you guys have a first aid kit in here?"

Riff nodded.

"Go get it. We'll try to patch her up as much as we can before the good doctor gets here."

"Will my dad be ok?" I asked Jake.

"He'll be fine," he assured me. "Sam'll get him to phase back. He still heals just as fast as the rest of us do, so he'll be fine. It's you I'm worried about."

"Don't worry about me," I ordered.

"Yeah, well…are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. My back doesn't feel so great, and I may never look at my father the same way again, but other than that I'm just peachy."

"You're ok," he chuckled, hearing the sarcasm in my voice.

"I think today wins the award for 'Crappiest Day Ever'," I muttered.

"Yeah," he agreed. "Definitely."

* * *

**Well, there you have it! If you want another chapter, let me know! **

**Penny for your thoughts;)**


	5. We're Acting Like Children

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Twilight!**

**I'm sorry for the slow update! Spring Break just ended *awww* so school's been pretty much taking up all my spare time. I'll try and have the next chapter up soon. :)**

**Hey! Thanks for the reviews, you guys! I love hearing from you. Seriously- it makes my day:D So, if you want me to smile...read this chapter and review when you're done!! :D haha:D Enjoy the next chapter! **

**Oh, and by the way, this ~*~*~*~*~*~ indicates a POV change. Just thought you should know! ;)**

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**Chapter Five**

I'm not sure when exactly it was that I fell asleep, but I was rudely awakened by a loud knocking on the door. Jake sat up straighter, his nose in the air as he took in the repulsively sweet scent of vampire. "Relax," I chuckled- something I instantly regretted, as the movement sent a spark of pain up my spine. "It's just Carlisle," I finished with a grimace.

Jake reluctantly left my side to open the front door, admitting the pale, golden-haired vampire into my home. "Hey, stranger," I grinned at the doctor.

"Freya," Carlisle sighed, setting his medical bag down on the coffee table in front of the sofa, "what am I going to do with you?"

"I'm sorry," I apologized. "I shouldn't have provoked him…he just made me so mad…"

"Relax," he ordered as he examined the many scratches on my legs, which had been exposed by the too-short blanket.

"Can I get some clothes on, first?" I begged, tugging the blanket tighter around me.

"Can you get upstairs?" he countered, a golden eyebrow raised in amusement.

"Jake, please?" I looked up at my best friend, my chocolate brown eyes wide and pathetic as I stuck my bottom lip out slightly.

He just scowled at me, and stomped up the stairs as he muttered under his breath. When he returned, he picked me up- blanket and all- and carried me to the bathroom, where I changed into the shorts and tank top he had brought for me.

"Gracias," I grinned at him as he carried me back to the sofa.

"Aren't you in any kind of pain at all?" Jake asked, seeming annoyed at my bright attitude.

"Of course I am," I snapped, annoyed at his annoyance. "I hurt like hell all over. But complaining isn't going to help the situation, is it?"

He tossed me down on the couch not too lightly, and stormed into the kitchen. "Don't know what his problem is," I muttered with a pained grimace.

Dr. Cullen cleaned the many cuts on my legs, back, and stomach slowly and methodically. I silently marveled at how practiced his icy cold hands were. A doctor vampire, I mused. How remarkable. "You'll have scars," he warned me, snapping me out of my thoughts suddenly. I blinked, taking in his words. "I can clean them, and you'll heal just fine…but even werewolves get scars."

"I know," I replied with a shudder when his words registered. I knew then that I would remember this night for the rest of my existence. "Where's Riff?" I asked, looking around the room for my brother.

"I'm here," he replied, coming to sit by me on the sofa. "Sorry…didn't know if I was wanted or not."

"Of course you're wanted!" I exclaimed, smacking him on the back of the head as Carlisle worked on a particularly deep cut that went from my left shoulder blade all the way down to my right hip. "Ouch!" I gasped as Carlisle rubbed alcohol on the cut.

"Freya…what's going on with Dad?" Riff asked me again. "I haven't seen him like that since Mom left."

I froze when he mentioned Mom. We never spoke about Mom- it just didn't happen. Blinking, I tried to recover myself. "He just lost it for a second," I replied at last. "He lost control, and he phased. After that, he had no idea what he was doing. That wolf, that wasn't Dad," I assured him with a grimace as the alcohol stung my skin once more. "It was just," I gasped, "a wolf."

Riff nodded. "I get it, Frey. Dr. Cullen…is there anything that I can do?"

"Go find Jacob and make sure he hasn't done something stupid," Carlisle suggested.

"Right…" he made his way out of the room and into the kitchen, where I could hear Jake slamming the dishwasher shut. He was doing the dishes? Strange child, indeed…

Dr. Cullen and I sat in a semi-awkward silence for a while, interrupted only by an occasional gasp of pain as he unleashed the power of alcohol on my poor, aching wounds.

"So…how's that son of yours?" I inquired at last in a poor attempt to make polite conversation. I liked the Cullen family more than the other wolves, but the instinct to rip their heads off that seemed to surface every time I was near one of them made it a bit awkward when it came to being friendly. "Edward?" I finished.

"Oh…Edward's fine," Carlisle replied with a frown. "At least…I don't think he's going to leave again. Not anytime soon, anyway, and not without Bella."

"Yeah, that was a stupid move. Especially with Victoria and the dude with the dreads hanging about- Jake told me about that little incident."

"You don't like Edward," he predicted, nodding his head in understanding.

I sighed. "It's not so much that I don't like him…I just…" I shook my head. "He's a nice kid, and all, but I don't exactly relish the way his actions seem to keep influencing my personal life," I huffed, thinking about Bella's relationship with Jacob. If Edward had just gotten over his sparkly self and thought about how leaving would make Bella feel…Bella would have Edward and I'd have my best friend. "God, I'm so selfish," I muttered to myself, knowing that Carlisle would hear.

Bless him, he decided to ignore that little comment and just continued cleaning my cuts.

By the next morning, I was perfectly healed. I had a few scars- a few had formed on my stomach, and the long cut on my back had scarred pink, as well…not to mention, I was still freaking out about attacking my dad and was crazy with worry about him, since I hadn't seen him since Sam and the others had dragged him off me the night before. Other than that though…I was fit as a fiddle.

Yawning, I stood up and started walking for the kitchen. Imagine my surprise when I suddenly found myself lying on the floor, face-first.

"Hey!" Jake exclaimed from underneath my elbow. "Get off me!"

"What are you doing on the floor?!" I screeched, my heart beating wildly from the scare. "Jeez!" I stood up, and then helped him to do the same.

"I was sleeping," he muttered. "Until somebody decided to step on me!"

"I tripped!" I argued. "Why were you sleeping on the floor of my living room?"

"I didn't want to leave you alone," he admitted. "Sam got your dad to phase back eventually, but he's still not quite himself. Carlisle took a look at him when he got done with you. Don't worry, he says your dad'll be fine. He just needs to calm down a bit."

"So he's ok?" I breathed. "He's not mad at me?"

"I don't know," Jake shrugged. "I mean, if I'd attacked my kid like that…I'd be more mad at myself than at her."

I sighed, collapsing into a kitchen chair. "I hope he isn't hurt too badly." I rested my head on my arms, letting my eyes slide shut.

"He'll be fine," Jake assured me, patting me on the back gently. "What have you got to eat in this place, anyway?" he asked, opening up the fridge.

Twenty minutes later, and Riff, Jake, and I were seated around the kitchen table eating a breakfast of eggs, sausage, and cheese wrapped up into tortillas. "I love homemade breakfast burritos," Riff sighed as he finished his meal.

I sipped orange juice out of a straw, loving its sweet flavor and smooth texture. "Yeah- just 'cause I made them," I grinned at my brother.

He shrugged, picking up his plate and rinsing it off before placing it in the dish washer. I did the same with my own plate, and with Jakes. I then proceeded to wipe off the table. "Dad hates it when it's dirty," I mumbled under my breath as I cleaned up.

"Hey, I've got to split," Riff announced as he pushed his chair in. "Matt's starting up a football game down at the beach later today. Don't want to miss it. Catch you later," he smiled at me as he ruffled my hair.

"Play nice with the other children!" I called to him as he walked out the front door.

"Don't worry, I got the car cleaned last night," Jake yawned.

"You did?" I beamed. "Oh, thank you so much!" I wrapped my arms around his neck happily.

He laughed as he returned the hug. "What're friends for, right? Want to head over to Sam and Emily's place? The others have been worried sick about you. They're probably anxious for proof that our vampire friend didn't decide to suck your blood after all."

I glared at him. "Carlisle Cullen would not have sucked my blood, Jacob."

"You know, I'm not sure if you should trust them. The Cullens." He spat the name out as if it were some kind of foul curse.

"Why not? They seem nice enough to me."

"Yeah," he muttered. "Until they bite you in your sleep."

"Hey!" I exclaimed. "The Cullens are a very nice family! I don't know why you guys hate them so much."

"Um, because they're vampires!" Jake retorted. "We're born to hate them!"

"I know!" I retaliated, my face getting red and my hands starting to shake. I took a deep breath, and sat down at the table, my head in my hands. "I know that, Jake."

"You know who I really hate?" Jake huffed angrily, plopping himself down in the chair next to mine. "That Edward Cullen guy."

"Yeah," I replied, glaring. "I'm not a big fan of him, either."

He looked at me strangely. "I thought you were just raving about how much you loved the bloodsuckers?"

I blushed. "I just don't like Edward much," I admitted.

"Why not?"

"Why don't you like him?" I replied, evading his question.

"You know why I hate him," he sighed, obviously thinking about Bella Swan…as usual. "Come on, just tell me. What about the bag of sparkles ticks you off?"

"It's not really him, exactly…oh, God, I really am selfish," I groaned, my head falling onto the table with a bang, my chestnut hair falling haphazardly over my face.

He chuckled, lifting the curtain of hair to look me in the eye. "Come on, Clip," he teased me. "Can't be that bad."

"Jake…it's nothing. Really. Edward Cullen just annoys me a little, is all."

"Clip, please?" he begged.

"Jake," I groaned. "Cut it out."

"I'm just going to find out at patrol tonight," he grinned. Obviously, this was no longer about the information- at least, not to Jacob. It was about the chase of said information. He'd turned it into a game.

"Out of all the things you could be pestering me about, you choose to ask why I don't like Edward Cullen. Why not something interesting?" I demanded, deciding to lower to the stakes of this game a little. There was no way I was going to let him know that the reason I disliked Edward was because I wanted to spend more time with _him_.

"Like what?" he asked with a grin.

"Oh, I don't know!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up in the air dramatically. "My friends in middle school all used to bother me day and night about who I had a crush on," I supplied.

"Really?" he laughed. "Is that what middle school girls talk about?"

I blushed. "Pretty much, yeah," I admitted.

"Well, what did you tell them?" he asked.

Oh, crap.

* * *

"Oh, I didn't tell them anything," Freya grinned, obviously relieved that her not-so-subtle subject change had been successful. "You guys don't call me Calypso for nothing."

"You'll tell me though, right? I'd love to be let in on the secret," I teased her. To be honest, I cared about who she had a crush on in middle school about as much as I cared why she disliked Edward Cullen. I just liked to see her blush.

And let me tell you, I was not in the least bit disappointed by her performance. I don't know if I'd ever seen anybody's face get as red as Freya Lust/Beckett's did as I teased her.

"God, Jake, it was so long ago…" she replied, her head still lying on the table with her hair thrown over her face. "I don't even remember anymore."

Yeah, right. Clip wasn't the kind of girl that fell for every single guy that smiled at her- if she'd actually felt something for one of them, she would remember. "Aw, come on," I begged, curious to know who exactly it had been who'd captured her interest all those years ago. They must have been pretty special. "It's not like you still like the guy anymore, or anything." She didn't answer me- she didn't even lift her head from the table to look at me. "I'll guess," I grinned, having fun with my game. "Was it Nate Peters? From the basketball team?"

She shook her head.

"Ben Johnson?"

"Nope."

"I feel like a seventh grader again," I sighed. "Come on, who was it?"

She shook her head again- and action so child-like it was actually a little endearing.

"Please?"

"No," she responded, her voice muffled by her hair.

Chuckling, I made one last guess. "It wasn't me, was it?" I laughed at the thought. Me, and Clip? It was ridiculous. No…it was ludicrous. She was my best friend.

I swear my heart stopped dead in its tracks when she slowly lifted her head up to look at me, her eyes wide with surprise.

"Oh, God, it was me, wasn't it?"

She nodded slowly. "Yeah."

I laughed again. "Of course. That explains so much," I teased her.

"Like what?!" she exclaimed, her voice getting high at the end as her hand flew up to her reddening face.

"Oh…like why you would always take your time at the water fountain after lunch, and then just happen to finish as soon as I walked by," I grinned, enjoying this new game of mine. "Or how your friends used to prank call me every weekend, and how you'd text me later to apologize." Her face was getting increasingly red with each word that I spoke. It really was kind of cute on her. And the way she was sticking out her bottom lip in a slight pout was absolutely adorable…

Whoa. Where had that come from?

I was in love with Bella- painfully in love with her. And one day, she would love me back. She'd see how bad the leech was for her compared to me…

_Aw, come on, you know she's bad for you,_ a voice at the back of my mind whispered. _She's with that bloodsucker forever and you know it._ _Clip at least wouldn't be flirting with you one minute, and making out with a leech the next. _

I looked more closely at Clip. She really was beautiful. Maybe not the soft, delicate beauty Bella possessed, and maybe her eyes weren't quite as deep and her hair didn't cascade over her shoulders as gracefully…but then again, Bella didn't seem to posses that dangerous spark in her eye the way Clip did. Bella wasn't as brave as Clip, either. The way Freya had attacked her dad the other night…Bells would never have been able to do that. She wouldn't have been able to keep calm enough to get herself and Owen to the hospital when they'd been attacked by the pervs down at Port Angeles, either.

Clip was just…extraordinary.

"Freya…you have freckles on your nose," I said in surprise, realizing this for the first time in the many years that I'd known her. I don't know who was more surprised when I suddenly brushed my lips against hers.

"Jake," she whispered, her eyes wide with surprise.

"I…" I didn't know what to say.

"I…um…I'm going to go, and ah…yeah," she mumbled, her face red, as she got up from the table and started walking through the house.

I groaned, holding my head in my hands. Oh, God. What had I just done?

* * *

**Oooo...Jake's feeling a little conflicted, huh? Guess you'll have to read on to find out! Ha! ha ha! *laughs maniacly* **

**Penny for your thoughts? ;)**


	6. I'm Not Homeless, I Swear!

**Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Twilight. That would be Stephanie Meyer. **

**Ok, so the most amazing thing happened to me today. I was in the car, coming home from church when I spied a huge golden retriever trotting down the right lane of traffic. I thought to myself, "Oh my God, it's Freya!" Then I realized that Freya only exists inside my imagination- which was admittedly a bit dissappointing. **

**Anyway, seeing this Freya-look-alike made me wonder what would happen if some kind stranger believed Freya to be a lost dog wandering the streets of Forks, and took her home. I hope you guys like it! **

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I left the kitchen, my face flaming and my heart pounding wildly in my chest, and headed for my room. Holding my to my lips, I sat down on the bed and tried to figure out what on God's green Earth had just happened.

He'd kissed me. Jacob Black had kissed me. I could hardly process this information- it was way too impossible. He and I had been best friends since forever. None of this was making any sense!

I held my head in my hands and groaned. Stupid boy, gone and got me all confused…

I took a deep breath. What I really needed right now was some air. I needed some time to myself where I could just _be_…I phased in my room and jumped out the window, landing gracefully on the ground two stories below. As soon as my paws hit the grass, I took of in a sprint down the road.

Thank God none of the others were in their wolf form at the moment- the scene at breakfast kept playing itself over and over in my head, despite my protests. I tried to focus on nothing but the rhythmic pounding of my great paws against the earth. Eventually, the rhythm consumed me. I felt a surreal sort of peace rush over me as I finally cleared my mind completely.

Of course, my run had to be ruined when a truck driving down the road noticed me- a giant golden retriever racing down the right lane of traffic. Guess I should have stayed a little father from the road…I was kind of hard to miss.

"Daddy! Daddy! It's a puppy!" A girl of maybe five or six yelled through the opened window. I froze, not quite sure what to do. If I ran, would they come after me? Would they shoot? Werewolves healed quickly, sure, but that didn't mean I was looking forward to being shot. Besides, the last thing I wanted was for the people of Forks and the reservation to be alerted to the presence of a hostile golden retriever wandering around in the woods.

"That's not a puppy," a gruff man's voice replied. "That's a full grown dog- and a dirty one at that."

Dirty? Are you kidding me? I looked down at myself. My golden fur was long- Sam was always telling me that I should get my hair cut shorter- and was covered in mud. I was soaking wet and had leaves and twigs tangled up in my coat.

Maybe I was dirty.

"He looks lost," the little girl whined. "Daddy, can we take him home?"

_Him?_

I growled, insulted by the little girl's comments.

She laughed. "He growled at me, Daddy!" she squealed with irrational delight. "Please, can we take him home? His family probably misses him."

"Owen, grab the dog and put it in the back, will you?" the gruff man's voice sighed. "We'll give it a bath and take it down to the shelter."

"Sure, Dad," Owen replied. He got out of the passenger side of the truck, and walked for me.

Of all the people to find me on the road, it had to be Owen- the one person I was trying desperately to avoid. He grabbed me by the fur on my neck, and began to drag me to the bed of the truck. I barked, and tried to squirm away from him- but he wouldn't let me go.

"Relax," Owen chuckled. "We're not going to hurt you, or anything. Get in the truck."

I sat down on my hind legs, refusing to move any further. There was no way I was getting in that truck- not if he baked a chocolate cake and put it in the back. Or if he got Hugh Jackman- the most amazing actor ever to walk this planet- to sit in the truck bed. Not even then. I squirmed around some more.

"Hey!" Owen exclaimed as he was thrown onto his back. "Stop that!"

I tried to run off, but he just grabbed me by the tail, eliciting a long, pained whine from me. I growled- having my tail ripped off was definitely not on my to-do list for the day.

I guess he got sick of fighting with me- he simply picked me up and carried me to the truck bed. Astonished, I sat in the back of the truck, unable to move a muscle. "You stay right there," he ordered with a glare. "Got it?"

I glared at him. Curse him and his unbelievably strong muscles!

The ride in the truck wasn't very long- just a couple of minutes. I closed my eyes and rested my head on my paws. I swear, they could have taken my picture and taped it in the dictionary next to the word "pathetic". I heaved a gigantic sigh as Owen whistled at me to follow him into the house.

Owen's house was smaller than I'd thought it would be. It was only one story, by the looks of it, and was just large enough for Owen, his dad, and the little girl. I wondered where Owen's mother was?

"Come on, puppy!" the little girl cried, burying her hands in my fur and dragging me down the tan carpeted hall toward an oak door. She opened the door and dragged me inside a small bathroom. "Daddy, hurry up!" she exclaimed. "We have to give the puppy a bath!"

"Gracie, get your hands out of that dog's fur!" her father sighed. "You've got no idea where that thing's been."

He started the water in the bathtub, then grabbed me by a fistful of fur on my neck and dragged me toward it. I whimpered, trying to get away. "Owen!" the father shouted. "A little help would be appreciated!"

"I've got it, Dad," Owen sighed, lifting me up in his arms and depositing me down into the bathtub. I squirmed around, splashing water everywhere in the process. Why couldn't these people just leave me alone?!

For the next forty minutes, I squirmed and whined and barked and shook in the tub while they scrubbed me down with soap, getting all the leaves and twigs and mud out of my furry coat. Finally, they decided they'd had enough fun torturing me, and turned the bathwater off. I leaped out of the tub, shaking my coat shamelessly so that water sprayed all over the room.

"Hey!" Owen coughed, wiping water off his eyes while his little sister squealed happily, wrapping her tiny arms around my neck. I licked her face. I couldn't help myself- she was just too cute.

They dried me off with a towel, and then dragged me into their living room.

"What are we going to do with her now?" Owen asked, stroking my ear absentmindedly while his little sister hugged me around the neck protectively.

"Keep her!" she cried, hugging me tighter.

I chuckled, a deep, throaty laugh of a bark, and she laughed happily. "See? She wants to stay, Daddy!"

Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no. I was a wolf for Pete's sake- not a pet.

The father sighed. "We should put up a notice in the town- and down at the reservation. Somebody's probably really worried about her." He scratched me behind the ear. I leaned into his hand, enjoying the feeling of being petted…probably a lot more than I should have.

_Help me,_ I pleaded to the other members of the pack.

Naturally, they were all in their human form at the moment, and thus couldn't hear me. Great. Who knew how long I'd have to be stuck like this before one of them came to get me?

I sighed, lying down on the carpet and resting my head on my paws.

"See, Gracie?" Owen said, pointing to me. "She misses her family."

"I don't want her to go!" the little girl cried, wrapping her arms around my neck so tightly that I was having trouble breathing. "Please don't make her go!"

I licked the tears off her face. I hated seeing little kids cry. It absolutely broke my heart. She only buried her face deeper into my fur.

Owen, Gracie, and their father took me down to the police station later that day to file a report.

"Officer Swan," Owen's dad greeted Bella Swan's father, the Chief of Police in the town of Forks. "We found this dog wandering the road a few miles out of the reservation. Thought we might file a report."

"Hey, Dad, I'm going to head home, alright?" a teenage girl with wide, chocolate brown eyes and a heart shaped face announced, pulling on her jacket as she stepped out of a back room.

"How are you getting home?" he asked, suspiciously.

"Edward's waiting outside," she admitted sheepishly. I barked, catching her eye. "Oh, hi, Fr—"

I barked again, cutting her off and shaking my head wildly before she could say my name. Her eyes got wide before her face broke out into a grin. "Oh, no, must be a different dog…I must say, your puppy is _soooo_ cute," she cooed, scratching me on the ear and petting me like crazy. "I've never seen such an adorable puppy! Aww!"

I glared at her, growling and baring my teeth. I knew I hated that girl for a reason.

She laughed. "You're not scary at all, are you?" she cooed again, hugging me around the neck. I growled again, and barked loudly in my ear. She yelped, jumping up in surprise. "Somebody's moody," she commented with a pout as she walked out the door.

"Puppy, why were you so mean?" Gracie asked softly, her eyes welling up with tears. I whined an apology and nuzzled her face, having her giggling like mad within seconds.

Once the missing dog report had been filed, Owen and his family took me back to their house, where they discovered that I knew how to play fetch. Owen would toss a frizbee, then watch in amazement as I caught it with ease, no matter how hard he had thrown it.

Finally, around seven that night, I felt another presence in my head.

_Hey, where have you been, Clip?_ Jake asked me. _You just disappeared after this morning. _

_Yeah…well. Are you alone?_ I asked him tentatively.

_Yup. You and I were supposed to be patrol buddies, remember? So where'd you disappear to? _

_I…went for a run,_ I replied.

_So…why haven't you come home? We need ya on patrol tonight. _

_Umm…well…funny story, actually. _I swallowed loudly and replayed the day's events in my mind. Jake, of course, was absolutely cracking up.

_They gave you a bath? _He asked, unbelieving._ Owen gave you a bath, and is playing fetch with you in his back yard? Oh, God, I can't wait to tell Sam about this! _

_Shut up!_ I barked angrily. _Just…please, come get me? Pretend I'm your lost dog, or something…I've been in my wolf form since nine this morning. They think I'm somebody's _pet, _Jake. I'm dying here. _

_Yeah, alright, alright, take a chill pill,_ he chuckled. _I'm going to get Sam, and we'll be over to get you. Where's the kids house, anyway? _

_I don't know. They filed a report with Charlie down at the station though…_

'_Kay. We'll be there in an hour at the most. You think you can survive until then? _

_I dunno, Jake…_

He chuckled. _Hang in there, Clip. _

Just like that, I was alone again, since Jake had phased in order to tell Sam what was going on. I sighed, laying on the grass in a defeated position. I was never going to be able to live this down.

"I love you, puppy," Gracie sighed, coming to sit down next to me in the grass. "Don't ever leave," she begged.

I whined, knowing that I was going to be leaving very soon. I had to- I wasn't a pet. I was a person.

Well…kind of.

"She's got to go home to her family, Gracie," Owen said softly.

"No!" the little girl cried. "Never! She'll stay with us forever and ever! I love her!" She flung her arms around my neck protectively, burying her face in my fur as she cried. I nuzzled her hair, and licked her face playfully when she looked up. Giggling, she picked up a nearby stick, threw it about three feet, and yelled, "FETCH!"

I got up and chased after the stick, making this huge show out of picking it up- growling at it, tossing it back to the ground, stomping on it- and then brought it back to her. While she was having a massive fit of the giggles, I tickled her with my wet nose.

We played in the back yard for a little while longer, until I heard the doorbell ring. I stood up, listening intently. I could hear voices outside the door- Sam and Jacob. I barked, my tail wagging happily as I pranced toward the front door.

"I'll get it," Owen offered. I followed him through the house to the front door, where Sam and Jake were waiting. He opened the door, and let the two wolves in. As soon as they had stepped through the front door, I tackled Sam and licked his face gratefully.

"Nice to see you, too, Calypso," he chuckled, rubbing me behind the ears. "Get off, you stupid mutt!" he laughed.

"Is this your dog?" Owen asked.

"Yes," Jake replied. "We've been looking for her everywhere! Where have you been?" he asked me, bending so that his eyes and mine were level. He had a grin spread wide across his face, and I could tell he was trying hard not to laugh.

"Thanks for picking her up for us," Sam thanked him, shaking his hand.

"Yeah…and did you give her a bath, or something? I've never seen her so clean," Jake teased me. I growled at him, nipping at his fingers.

"Don't bite," Sam said absentmindedly.

"We should get going," Jake reminded the Alpha.

Sam nodded, then turned back to Owen. "Well, thank you for taking care of Calypso for us," he thanked them again.

"No problem," Owen shrugged. "You've got a really smart dog there- real pretty, too."

I swear, if I'd been human, I would have been blushing scarlet. Owen thought I was pretty!

_Oh, shut up,_ I muttered to myself. _He meant the dog- not you. Besides, since when do you care? _

"Puppy!" Gracie cried, running toward the front door.

"The puppy's going home now," Owen said gently, picking the little girl up in his arms.

"I don't want her to go," Gracie sniffed, reaching out toward me. Resting my front paws on Owen's chest- oh, my God, what kind of steroids was this kid on, anyway?- and licked the little girl's face one more time. She kissed me on the head. "Goodbye, puppy," she sniffed.

"Come on, Clip," Jake chuckled. "Let's go home."

"Clip?" Owen frowned, looking at me.

"Short for Calypso," Sam explained.

"Sorry," Owen shrugged. "I just…I know a girl, who goes by Clip. Freya- Freya Lust. You know her, right?"

"Oh…um…" Sam looked at me awkwardly. "Yeah. The, ah, the dog's named after her," he lied. "Ask her about it next time you see her."

"If I ever see her again," he groaned. "That girl is so hard to contact…sometimes I wonder if she even exists," he chuckled. "Freya…" he shook his head, sighing. "Tell her I said hi, if you see her- Owen. Owen Anderson."

"Right," Jake replied indifferently. "Ian Andrewson. Got it. Adios." Jake grabbed a fistful of my fur and dragged me off to Sam's car. "Get in," he ordered, opening the back seat. I did as I was told, and climbed into the car.

"We'll stop once we get the woods so you can change," Sam offered. "We brought you some clothes.

I barked my approval, taking the clothes in my mouth. Once we arrived at the edge of the woods, I jumped out of the car and dashed behind a large tree. I phased, changed, and jogged back to the car.

"Thanks, guys," I breathed, climbing back into the backseat. "Where are we going?"

"We're headed to Sam and Emily's place," Jake supplied.

"Now that you're done playing house pet, the pack has some serious business to attend to," Sam replied, his eyes on the road.

"What happened?" I asked, worried. "Nobody else got killed, did they?"

"No," Sam replied. "It's worse."

"What could be worse?" I wondered, absolutely bewildered.

"Victoria's raising an army of newborn vampires," Sam answered me. "And they're coming to Forks."

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**Haha:) How'd you guys like it? Not the best, I know, but...I just HAD to put this in the story! **

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	7. Face Punch! BAM!

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Twilight! :):) If I did, I'd be living in a mansion somewhere, and I'd be able to skip the 8th grade. But I don't own Twilight, so I'm stuck in middle school. :) **

**Wow, you guys have all been really great:) I think we can do better than four reviews though, right??? RIGHT??? *glares menacingly* **

**hehe:) I'm just joking. I'd never hurt you guys- you're too amazing. I hope you like this next chapter!!! And I really do hope you like this story...I know I'm not the best author out there, but I really appreciate everybody sticking with this story for so long. Thank you so much!!! 3 3 3**

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**Chapter Seven**

"_Victoria's raising an army of newborn vampires," Sam answered me. "And they're coming to Forks." _

"Oh, my God, when?" I demanded, my eyes wide as I leaned over in my seat toward Sam. "How many of them are there?"

"We don't know," Sam sighed. "We don't even know for sure if that's what's happening…but we finally pieced it all together. The killing spree going on down in Seattle. The mysterious visitor in Bella's room the other night…her missing shirt."

"Victoria couldn't get past us to get to Bella on her own…so she's bringing an entire freaking army of newborn vampires," Jacob continued, his knuckles turning white as he clenched his hand tight into a fist.

"But…we don't know for sure," I repeated, trying to make sure I understood.

"True," Sam nodded. "We don't know for sure."

"But it's likely," Jake added. "Probably true. Which means we should just get Bella out of Forks while we still can."

"She'd never go for that, Jake," I chuckled. "Stubborn chick. Now that she's got that little bloodsucker back, she'll never leave him. Besides- I'd rather just fight them off and be done with it."

"That's probably the attitude we are going to have to take," Sam sighed regretfully. "I don't relish the thought of killing another living creature…"

"Sam," I reminded him. "They're vampires- newborn vampires. Newborn vampires that have recently gone on a killing spree all over Seattle. I don't have a problem ripping a sadistic newborn's head off."

"I always knew I liked you for a reason, Clip," Jake grinned, punching me in the shoulder playfully. Our eyes met, and I remembered the little incident in the kitchen this morning. I blushed bright red, and he turned around somewhat awkwardly and didn't talk to me the rest of the car ride. Even when Sam dropped me off at my house…he didn't even say goodbye.

I went inside the house, yawning from my long night at the Anderson household with Owen and his family- I had to admit, his sister was absolutely adorable. I headed to my room, and crashed.

The next few weeks weren't bad. I was freaking out about the whole vampire attack thing, sure, but it was just a theory. We'd asked Alice to check into it…and she couldn't see anything. I mean, that might just have been because she couldn't see past us- the "dogs", the werewolves- to see if the vampire army actually was coming. Anyway, I got through school pretty well, and was absolutely ecstatic when summer arrived.

It meant that I could spend the part of my day that I usually wasted in school, sleeping. Of course, werewolves…we can't just stay out of trouble, can we? Something always has to happen that keeps us form being lazy and sleeping in until three in the afternoon when your brother literally pries you out of bed to get started on afternoon patrol.

There was a new movie out- Face Punch II- and I'd been really eager to see it…but Jake wouldn't come see it with me.

"I saw the first one," he'd said. "It wasn't that good. Totally fake. Really freaked Bella out."

Yeah, I was a little ticked off to hear that he'd seen the movie with Bella- especially since he hadn't said a single freaking word about the kiss. (I mean, come on, Jake! It was as if it wasn't even a big deal. Like he went around kissing his best friends all the time.) Grinning evilly, to myself, I called up Bella and asked if she wanted to come. Naturally, she said…yes?

"Oh, I'd love to come see a movie with you, Freya!" she practically squealed with delight. "Thanks so much for inviting me!"

"Oh, it's no big deal," I grinned. "Really." We made the arrangements as to when and where we would meet, until she finally realized that one crucial piece of information was missing.

"What are we going to see?" she asked, sounding…really excited.

"It'll be a surprise," I assured her.

Cackling to myself, I hung up the phone. At seven that night, I was outside the small soup-and-sandwich type restaurant, waiting for Bella- apparently, those vampires don't even have food in their house, or something.

I kept my thoughts blank as that bloodsucker boyfriend of hers dropped her off, kissing her goodbye as she exited his shiny silver Volvo. She waved goodbye, then walked toward me.

"Hey, Freya," she grinned at me. "How's it going?"

"Oh…it's good," I replied, thinking about my evil plan freely now that Eddie-ward was way out of hearing distance- he liked to drive really fast. "So…don't you have a car?" I frowned.

"Yeah," she blushed. "Edward…is really protective."

"Oh." I suddenly wished I had someone to be overly protective of me. "So…how are things in Bloodsucker Land?" I inquired as we entered the restaurant, getting in line to order our food.

She chuckled. "Haven't heard that one before," she admitted. "Creative."

"I try," I grinned. "How does it feel to be the Vampire Girl?" I inquired curiously, honestly wondering how she put up with those…those _leeches_ all the time. I mean, some of them weren't that bad- Emmett, for instance, was a riot, and Alice was really sweet. Esme's motherly charm was a bit annoying, but when it was directed at you I'm sure it was appreciated. Carlisle was awesome…he just made the mistake of informing everybody of my business. For example…when he told Sam about my incident down at Port Angeles. That was a bit irritating.

For the most part, the Cullen family was pretty cool. It was Edward and Rosalie that really bothered me- and Jasper's sullen silence freaked me out a little sometimes.

"How does it feel being the Wolf Girl?" she countered, an eyebrow raised at me over her menu.

"Touché," I smiled.

We ordered our food- half a sandwich and a salad for her, and a whole salad, plus a bowl of soup for me- and sat down at one of the vacant booths in the back of the restaurant.

"You know what?" Bella mused, tilting her head to the side to look at me. "I'm really glad you called me today."

"Yeah?" I asked, surprised.

"Yeah. I…well. I've never had many girl friends," she admitted sheepishly. "It's nice to be able to hang out with a girl my age, for once."

"Oh…yeah," I nodded. She'd caught me by surprise. I was all ready to be mean and snippy, making snide remarks, and making her see a movie that I knew would take her back to when Edward was gone…I couldn't believe I'd been so despicable. I sighed, playing with the paper on my straw. I tore of the end, holding the straw to my mouth. With a mischievous glint in my eye, I blew on the end of the straw.

Perfect aim. The straw wrapper hit Bella right between the eyes. She looked at the wrapper in shock, as if trying to comprehend that I had actually shot her with a straw wrapper in public. Cause, you know, that's how we juniors in high school tend to act.

She grinned evilly then, picking up her own wrapper and mimicking me. She missed- the wrapper barely caught me across the jaw. "Aw, come on, Bella," I chuckled. "You can do better than that."

I spent the next ten minutes coaching Bella on the art of _aim_. Unfortunately, she was kind of hopeless. When our food came out, and the waitress found our table to be littered with straw wrappers, we decided it was time to stop.

I dug my teeth into the sandwich, enjoying the flavors of mustard, onion, ham, lettuce, tomato, and cheese as they filled my mouth. We ate happily, chatting in between bites. When we had finished, we tossed the trash in the trash can and left for my car.

"So," I asked her, putting my seat belt on. "What movie do you want to see?"

"Oh…I don't care," she shrugged. "Whatever is fine with me."

Her phone rang, buzzing angrily from the contents of her purse. She dug it out, cursing softly when it didn't turn up. I reached into her purse and grabbed her phone, handing it over. (And Freya's awesome werewolf senses come to the rescue once again!)

"Thanks," she smiled at me as she pressed "send". "Hey, Edward," she greeted the bloodsucker.

"Hey, Bella," I heard Edward reply.

"Just to give you fair warning, I can hear what he's saying," I mentioned. "I'm not eavesdropping, or anything, I swear- I just thought you should know that I can hear you."

"Oh…thanks, Freya," she smiled at me, flipping open her phone and setting it on speaker. "Edward, say hello to Freya."

"Hello," he replied in that eerily smooth voice of his.

"Hey, my bloodsucking friend," I replied, trying to force out a smile through my dislike for this particular vampire.

They talked for a little while, and I listened halfway as I drove up to the movie theatre. "Oh, we're here," Bella jumped, obviously startled that the trip was over already. "I'm sorry, Edward…I've got to go."

"Oh…I love you," he reminded her.

Her eyes softened, and she smiled happily. "I love you, too." I noticed that she actually meant it when she said those three dangerous words. "See you later."

"Be safe," he ordered.

"I'm with a werewolf, Edward," she chuckled, looking at me with a grin. "What could happen?"

"Still…be careful. She's young," he replied.

"Umm, hello? Speaker phone!" I huffed, irritated. "And by the way, I've been like this for about a year already, and I haven't exploded on anybody. Yet. If you don't watch it, you could be next," I threatened him.

He chuckled. "Yeah. Good luck with that. Enjoy your movie."

"Bye," I said, hanging up Bella's phone for her since I knew from the pathetically love-struck look on her face that she'd never do it herself. "I'm going to assume that you want to watch a chick-flick now, am I right?" I sighed.

She looked at me hopefully. "Please? I'll buy you chocolate," she offered with a grin.

"Oh, well, if there's chocolate…"

We bought a bunch of candy and hauled it into the movie theatre, talking and laughing the whole time. I swear, I felt like one of those raucous middle school girls waiting in like for the new Harry Potter movie to come out.

Bella and I filed in behind a small crowd of other movie-goers into the theatre, where we found seats at the very back, where we could talk without getting too many people ticked off.

"Hey," I said thoughtfully as I chewed through one of the chocolate covered raisins. "Would you want to stay over at my place tonight?" I offered.

"Really?"

I nodded. "Yeah, of course. I haven't had a sleep over since…" I laughed, remembering the last time I'd had a sleepover. It was when I was human- I'd had human friends, girls that I'd hung out with since elementary school. We'd stayed up late talking about boys we liked and our favorite movies, and about what a perfect date would be like. Cheesy fluff that all middle school girls talk about. "Well. In a really long time," I grinned.

"I'd love to," she smiled. "It would be so much fun. Are you sure your parents won't mind?"

I rolled my eyes. I was a junior in high school. I was a freaking werewolf, for Heaven's sake. I hardly needed to ask my Mommy and Daddy for permission to do just about anything. "My mom's long gone, and…my Dad's been…distant lately," I frowned. Once Dad had phased back after his freak-out, he'd pretty much stayed away from me…like he were afraid of hurting me again. "I don't think they'll mind," I finished, viciously biting a head off a gummy bear.

"Decapitation is frowned upon in most places, Freya," she scolded me.

"Unless you're dealing with vampires," I replied with a knowledgeable nod.

"Hey…can I ask you something?" she asked me softly as the lights were flickered off and the movie began rolling on the screen.

"You just did ask me something," I pointed out with a grin. "But yeah- go ahead and shoot."

"The vampires you guys kill…" she looked really upset. As if the idea of killing vampires were…uncomfortable for her. I guess I understood that. She hadn't spent her childhood being trained to hate vampires, like I had. She was dating one of them, after all.

"We only kill the bad ones," I promised. "We don't kill them just for being on our territory- we go in for the attack after they kill. Or try to kill. Take your friend, Laurant, for example. Jake and the others didn't attack until after he decided he was going to suck your blood."

She heaved a sigh of relief, as if she'd been wondering if we would randomly decided to rip apart Edward or his family. "Thanks, Freya," she breathed.

"No problem," I smiled, turning my attention to the movie.

For the next two hours, we watched the mushy fluff of the movie that we had chosen- a definite chick flick- and by the end of the show, we were both in tears.

"That was just beautiful," she sniffed as the credits rolled.

"I know," I nodded, wiping my eyes on my wrist. "I mean, it's just like…just when you think Andy's gone, you know, to live in Canada and everything…"

"He comes back just in time to stop Amy's wedding!" Bella nodded, wiping her own eyes. "God, that had to be the best movie I've ever seen."

"Except for Pride and Prejudice," I amended her with a nod. "We should watch that tonight."

She nodded, and we talked about our night at my house as we walked out of the theatre. I'd turned my head around to look at her…and I ran into something- something that then grabbed my shoulder to keep me from falling over in shock.

Owen Anderson chuckled, his eyes glinting mischievously. "Hey, there, Freya," he greeted me.

"Oh, God, Owen," I breathed, trying to get over my surprise. "You really can't sneak up on people like that, you know."

"I snuck up on you? You ran into me!" he laughed.

"Hey, Owen," a short, brown haired girl pouted beside him. "Are we going to see the movie or now?" she whined annoyingly.

"Is this your girlfriend?" I teased him.

"Ah…no, we're just…"

"On a date," she finished. "Let's go see that one…the chick flick. That way we can make out in the back of the theatre." She smirked at me.

"Trust me, Owen, that movie was terrible," I warned him. "I mean, really. We were crying with happiness when the credits came on, weren't we, Bella?" I asked her.

She narrowed her eyes at me for a second, looking confused. I winked at her. "Oh! Yeah! Right! It was terrible!" she exclaimed. "The guy dies at the end, and the girl gets shot in some school shooting…and the bad guys win. Which is never supposed to happen."

"Very true," I nodded.

"Well…what would you suggest we see?" Owen asked. He still hadn't let go of my arm- which hadn't gone unnoticed by the other girl.

"Face Punch," I nodded seriously. "II. But I don't know if your girl here could handle it…it's pretty hardcore. I loved it, though, and I think you would, too."

"Oh…I dunno, that sounds kind of graphic…I don't know if Lydia—"

"I'm not a child, Owen," Lydia snapped. "I can handle it. Buy the tickets. I'd love to see that movie…if you're there." She batted her eyes up at him coquettishly.

"Ha! Yeah, I would come back and see it some other time," I advised him. "I'd be happy to come with you, if you couldn't find anybody else."

He grinned at me. "Yeah, that'd be awesome, Freya. We should definitely do that sometime."

"Yeah, I'd be fun," I grinned, once again making the mistake of looking into his eyes. Oh, God, he had such pretty eyes.

"Come on, Owen," the girl snapped. "Let's go see Face Punch."

"Your funeral," I shrugged. "See you around, Owen," I grinned at him, dragging Bella out of the theatre. "Oh, God, what did I just do?" I groaned, pounding my head against the steering wheel.

"I think you just…asked him out," she frowned. "How do you know Owen, anyway?"

"You brought him to the bonfire, remember?" I reminded her. "We've…met a couple times since then. He's…"

"He's a nice guy," she nodded.

"Yup."

"Fairly good-looking."

I snorted. "You're joking, right?" I thought about the way his reddish hair shone in the sunlight, how his muscles seemed almost as defined as Embry's- he was one of the smaller guys in the pack. And I thought about his eyes…the eyes that had me tripping all over myself every time I looked too close. "I'd say he's a bit more than 'fairly good-looking," I huffed.

She sighed. "Yeah. I guess…"

"But then again, he's got nothing on those sparkly, inhumanly beautiful vampires of yours, huh?" I chuckled.

"I guess," she grinned, a blush coloring her face.

"Come on," I laughed. "Let's roll…literally."

We drove down to the grocery store, where we bought an unreasonable amount of chocolate, popcorn, and other sugary sweet goodness. When we had made our purchases, we headed over to my house.

"Dad, I've got a friend over tonight!" I called. I didn't know where he was, but I knew he'd hear me.

"Is it a mythical creature type friend?" Riff asked curiously.

"No, actually, Bella's a real, live human!" I exclaimed with mock excitement. "And no, don't even ask me if you can hang out with us. Because you can't."

"Aw, come on, Freya," he grinned. "Please?"

"No."

"Pretty please?"

"Riff…"

"Why can't he?" Bella asked me, grinning at my older brother.

"No offense, Bella," I chuckled, "but you've got enough trouble with guys as it is. We don't need to add my Casanova brother to the mix."

"I'd be good," Riff pouted.

"Yeah, right," I laughed as my phone started to ring. "Go hang out with Daniel, or something." I took the phone out of my pocket, and looked at the caller ID. "It's Sam," I groaned, answering it.

"Hey, Clip!" he exclaimed excitedly.

"Hey, Sam," I sighed. "You told me I didn't have patrol this afternoon. It's Quil's turn."

"Please," he pleaded. "I can give you the earlier shift."

"Sam, I have a friend over," I hissed.

"Oh…well, I'll cut your shift in half. Paul can handle being by himself for a couple of hours. Please? We need you, Clip."

I sighed. "Fine, Sam…I'm coming over now. I'll stay until…until seven," I nodded. "And then I'm going to enjoy the rest of my day off without having any of you guys bug me. Alright?"

"Sure, of course," he agreed. "See you soon, Clip."

"Yeah. See you, Sam." I hung up the phone, sighing. "I've got to run a couple hours of patrol tonight," I explained to Bella. "I was supposed to have the night off…but Quil's lovely little imprint is always in need of a babysitter, and he won't trust anyone else," I huffed.

"Oh…I can go home," she offered. "If this is a bad time, we can try again next weekend, or tomorrow…"

"No," I decided. "It's never a really good time to have a social life outside the pack. You've met Sam and Emily and everybody, right?" I asked. She nodded. "Well…you wouldn't mind hanging out there for a couple of hours, right? I think Jake might be there," I added grudgingly, knowing how she'd totally go if Jake were around.

"Oh…that should be fine," she grinned. "Only…I'd better not tell Edward. He'd just freak."

"Don't worry," I grinned. "I can take him."

I laughed even harder at the horror-struck look on her face. "I was kidding!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up in the air innocently. "Jeez, Bella!"

"She could stay here with me!" Riff called as we walked out the door.

"Goodbye, Tony!" I called to my brother sweetly, waving to him.

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**Hahahahaha!! Did you see the look on Lydia's face!! *you know, that annoying chick Owen was out with???* **

**Anyway...I hope you enjoyed this chapter!!! Keep reading- apparently it's good for your brain! :D**

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	8. Ladies' Night!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. I just own Freya...and Owen...but they're pretty cool, so I guess I can live with that:D **

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Bella and I walked together down the dirt road toward Sam and Emily's place in silence, content to listen to the wind howling through the trees. We were taking a shortcut through the forest when she broke the serene silence.

"Hey, Freya?" she asked me, sounding a bit nervous.

"Hmm?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," I shrugged. Just because she asked didn't mean I had to give an honest answer, did it? No- of course not. Let the vampire girl ask me whatever she wanted.

"It's kind of…personal," she frowned.

"Shoot."

"What's the whole imprinting business about?" Bella asked me, looking nervous. "I mean…you would know if someone had imprinted on you, right?"

"Why would you ask something like that?" I chuckled. I thought about her question- why would she be concerned with imprinting? It wasn't as if it were ever going to happen to her.

"I'm just a little worried that…_someone_…may have imprinted on me," she elaborated carefully. "Which would be really bad, because I'm never going to leave Edward."

I frowned, trying to figure out the double meaning behind her words. What was she trying to say here? "Oh, God…you don't think that I imprinted on you?" I gasped in horror. "Cause I don't really swing that way, Bells."

"No! No, of course not!" she exclaimed hurriedly, a blush coloring her cheeks. "No. It's Jake."

Ouch.

"Yeah…well, I don't think you need to worry about Jake," I sighed, brushing a strand of hair back behind my ear. "He can take care of himself pretty well…and to answer your question, no," I assured her. "I don't think he's imprinted on anybody. He would have told me if he had."

"Are you sure?" she asked me.

I nodded. "He wouldn't have been able to keep it a secret if he'd wanted to. Trust me."

"Oh…right. Well…thank you, Freya," she smiled at me.

"No problem," I shrugged. "Come on- Sam's place is this way." I lead her a bit farther through the trees, until we came upon a small home. Jake was waiting for us, waving at us form the front porch.

"Hey, Jake!" I called.

"Hey, Bella," he greeted her as we neared the home. He wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug, then led her inside, leaving me standing on the porch, feeling like a complete idiot.

"Yeah, it's really awesome to see you, too, Jake," I grumbled. "I really enjoyed that kiss the other night, by the way. Glad to see you haven't forgotten about it." Feeling a bit sour, I pulled my sweatshirt off over my head as I arrived at the tree I always changed behind before I phased.

_You're late,_ Paul accused.

_Sorry,_ I apologized. _I _thought_ I had the night off._

_Yeah, well, you've got the beach tonight. And please, for the love of God, don't start singing again. You know I can't stand that. _

_What does everybody have against my singing voice?!_ I exclaimed.

_It's not good,_ he replied harshly.

_Umm, I got the Outstanding Choral Musicianship award three years in a row, my friend,_ I pointed out.

_I think the person who judges those things is tone deaf, _he retorted. _I mean, Seth got the Outstanding Instrumental Musicianship award last year. That just wasn't right at _all_. _

_You wouldn't know good music if it smacked you across the face and threw you into the St. Lawrence River,_ I grumbled.

_Hey, Freya?_

_Yup?_

_There's something I've always wanted to say to you…_

_Yeah?_

_And now that we're alone…_

_Paul_, I growled, sure he was going to say something really stupid.

_I think I can finally say it. _

_Paul, what is it?_ I sighed.

_You are really, really weird. And kind of annoying_, he added as an afterthought.

_Anything else you'd like me to know? _

He thought about it for a minute. _That's about it. _

I spent the rest of my patrol in silence. I didn't like Paul- he was kind of a jerk. He let his anger get the best of him at least once every week, and was always making rude comments about my size. Instead of trying to keep my patrol partner company, I focused on my running- the feel of the sand between my claws, the salty mist radiating off the sea as it hit my face. I heard a howl- not the deep, booming and urgent howl of a werewolf, but the eerie, lonely calls of real wolves. This was one of the best things about being what I was- getting to be a part of nature.

_Clip, you can go on back to the house,_ Paul said at last. _You're patrol's up. _

_Righty-O, _I replied, making my way toward Sam's place. _You sure you can handle it out here by yourself, Pauley-boy? _I teased him.

_If I needed help, I would get Sam, not the runt,_ he growled.

_Jerk,_ I muttered, running back behind the tree where I'd left my clothes. I phased, changed, and entered la Casa de Sam y Emily…only to find Jake and Bella sitting on the couch, holding hands and laughing like best friends.

"Bella, let's go," I sighed, suddenly exhausted.

"Oh…you look really tired, Freya," she frowned, looking concerned. "Are you sure you want to hang out tonight? We could always take a rain check, you know."

"I know…and I appreciate your concern Bella, I really do," I smiled at her, doing my best to ignore Jake completely. "But I'm always tired, and there isn't really going to be a better time. Besides, I'm actually looking forward to this," I realized with surprise. I'd always hated Bella…what had changed so drastically between yesterday and today?

"Yeah, Bells," Jake urged, helping Bella to her feet. "Go have a good time with Clip. Lord knows she needs someone to teach her how to be a girl."

"Oh, shut up, Jake," I blushed, punching him playfully in the arm. "I know how to be a girl, well enough."

"Oh, yeah?" he challenged me with a teasing grin.

"We should be going," I chuckled, hugging him goodnight. "And if my memory serves me correctly," I whispered in his ear, way too soft for Bella, the only human in the room, to hear, "you thought I was girly enough the other day." I then walked calmly into the kitchen, where Emily offered me and Bella some of her famous muffins. I stole a glance at Jake before we left- the completely and utterly dumbfounded look on his face was priceless.

"These are delicious," Bella noted as we walked back to my place, her eyes wide. She had, of course, just taken a bite out of one of Emily's lemon poppy seed muffins.

"Yeah…you should try her chocolate chip ones," I grinned. "I swear Emily is some sort of master chef. We wolves would starve to death if it weren't for her."

"How was patrol?" she asked me, trying to strike up a conversation.

I shrugged. "Pretty boring…but I guess that's a good thing. Did you have a good time with Jake?"

"Oh, yes," she grinned. "I love hanging out with Jake. He's the best."

"Yeah, he is," I smiled thoughtfully, remembering the gentle feel of his lips on mine…

"Are you alright?"

My face grew hot as I realized that I'd stopped walking. "Oh…yeah," I blushed. "I just thought I heard something…false alarm."

Seeing that Riff's truck was no longer parked in the driveway, I reached above the door for the house key, and unlocked the front door. We stepped inside, and made our way to my room.

"This is nice," she said with a smile, looking around. The walls were white, with detailed black flowers and vines dancing across. The bed had black and white blankets, with the same flowery sort of theme. A corkboard above the dark-stained oak desk housed about a million different pictures of golden retrievers, kept from when I'd first transformed about a year ago. It was sophisticated, just like my mother had hoped it would be when she'd helped design it when I was seven years old.

"Thanks," I grinned, remembering my mother as my hand traced over one of the flowers.

"Who painted all of this?" she asked, looking in wonder at the artistic beauty of the black roses.

"My mother," I replied. "She and I designed this room when I was little."

"Oh…I haven't met your mom," she smiled. "Is she nice?"

"I guess," I replied. She had been nice…until she decided to leave. So I suppose I hadn't lied.

"She's an amazing artist," Bella commented.

"Thanks…hey, do you want to get stuff set up downstairs? I don't have a TV in my room…and my laptop just won't cut it if we're going to be watching Pride & Prejudice."

"Crap," she muttered, smacking herself on the forehead. "I forgot to stop by home…"

"You're welcome to borrow some of my clothes," I shrugged. "They might be a little snug…the loose fit really comes in handy when I'm in a rush to phase, and I don't feel like ripping my clothes apart."

She laughed. "Ok, sure. Thanks a lot, Freya."

"No biggie," I grinned, grabbing for her a pair of shorts and a T-shirt and throwing them at her. "I'll get the popcorn started- meet you downstairs."

I jogged down the stairs, and fished a bag of popcorn out of the pantry. I placed it in the microwave and let it heat up. When the first bag was finished, I removed it from the microwave and replaced it with a second popcorn bag. I was just pouring the two bags of popcorn into a huge bowl when Bella found her way into the kitchen.

I'd left her upstairs nearly ten minutes ago- what had taken her so long?

"Hey," she greeted me, grinning. "Mmm…popcorn. My favorite!"

"Yeah…me too," I replied warily. "What took you so long, Bells?"

What can I say? I'm not exactly known for being discreet.

"Oh…I, uh, found this," she admitted, tossing a photo album onto the kitchen table. "I got a little distracted. I'm sorry," she apologized, seeing the surprised look on my face.

"Oh, I remember this!" I exclaimed, finally realizing how I recognized the book. "My mom and I made it together. Grab it," I ordered, carrying two bottles of water, the bowl of popcorn, and various other snacks into the living room. I set the food on the coffee table, and started up the DVD player.

"I'll be right back," I promised. I rushed upstairs and changed into a pair of shorts and a tank top, pulling my hair into a messy ponytail high above my head. When I returned to the living room, Bella was looking through the photo album.

"These are sweet," she commented as she flipped through pages and pages of photos with me, my parents, and Riff- each of us looking happier than we've been in ages.

"Oh, I remember this," I grinned as she arrived at a photo of a seven-year-old Riff holding onto my small, five-year-old self's hand as he pointed out a giraffe at the San Diego zoo. Smiles were bright on both our faces, and I remembered that day to be one of the best times I'd ever had on a vacation with my family.

We started up the movie after a while, discarding the book to a shelf of books at the back of the room. Bella and I sat on the couch, bundled up in blankets with snacks on our laps, and watched our second soppy chick-flick of the evening.

At the end of the movie, we were both in tears. "I love this movie," Bella sighed, popping one of the last pieces of popcorn in her mouth. "It's just so…so moving."

"Yeah," I sniffed. "Jane Austen was a literary genius."

"True," she agreed, wiping her eyes on the back of her hand.

"What now?" I asked her. "Another movie?"

"No…maybe we should just talk?" she suggested timidly, as if she were afraid of saying something wrong.

I turned off the TV, and sat cross-legged back on the couch. "Sure," I smiled. "Why not?"

"Do you want to play Truth or Dare?" she asked me, giggling. Oh…I guess I wasn't the only one feeling like a seventh grade girl at the moment.

"Sure," I laughed. "You first!"

"Ok…Truth or Dare?"

"Dare," I said automatically, grinning from ear to ear. I'd always loved a challenge.

"Ok…I dare you to…walk around the room on your hands."

Laughing, I pulled myself up into a handstand, and walked easily around the room. Pushing myself up on my hands, I did a flip over the back of the couch, landing with my legs crossed next to Bella.

"Show off," she muttered.

"My turn!" I exclaimed. "Truth or Dare."

"Truth," she said after a moment's thought.

"How weird did you think it was when I called you this morning?"

"Really weird," she admitted with a grin. "I mean…I never thought you liked me that much before. It was really random."

"Then why did you agree to hang out with me?"

"I decided to give you the benefit of the doubt," Bella shrugged. "Jake's always talking about how awesome you are, so I didn't think you could be that bad."

"He talks about me?" I blushed. "What does he say?"

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "I thought you were into Owen Anderson," she accused.

I groaned. "I don't even know who I'm into anymore, Bella."

"Elaborate, please."

"I mean…Jake and I have been friends since forever, right?" I began. "He really is my best friend. And I always thought that that was all that he was- my friend. But then he goes and kisses me…"

"He what?!" she exclaimed, sitting bolt upright on the couch.

"Well…we were eating breakfast, and he just sort of…kissed me. And I have no idea why. It lasted seriously less than two seconds, but…" I groaned again. "I was so sure of where I stood with him, and then he goes and messes everything up. Jake jacked with the system."

"What about Owen?"

"I met him at the bonfire…and he sort of tackled me while we were playing football," I admitted. "I think…please don't hate me or anything," I warned her.

"Why would I hate you?" she chuckled.

"I think I might have sort of imprinted on your friend," I admitted in a rush, hiding my face under the blanket.

She just blinked. "Whoa."

"Yeah," I said with a sheepish smile. "That just about covers it."

"Wait…you _think_ you _might_ have imprinted on Owen?" she frowned. "How could you not know something like that?"

"I don't know," I admitted. "All I know is that I keep running into him, everywhere…like at the movie theatre today. And I swear, I was just so _angry_, seeing him with that girl…"

"You were jealous," she sighed knowingly. "I hate that feeling, don't you?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "Hey…do you mind if we talk about something else? My love life is kind of depressing."

"Sure," she grinned. "What do you think the weather's going to be like tomorrow?"

"Rainy," I said automatically. It was always rainy in this part of Washington.

"Really? I mean, we hardly ever get rain here in Forks…"

For the next couple of hours, we chatted about meaningless, trivial things such as the weather and school, and our plans for the summer. Late into the night, we finally fell asleep on the couch, the bowls of popcorn still sitting, dirty, on the coffee table.

When I woke up the next morning, the room had been cleaned up. Somebody had wiped off the coffee table and thrown away all our trash. They'd straightened up the shelf of DVD's Bella and I had made a mess of while looking for Pride & Prejudice the night before.

I got up, and went to into the kitchen. The dishes had been done, and there was a box of doughnuts sitting out on the table. I spied a note on the refrigerator.

"Freya," the note said, "I hope you had a good time with your friend last night. I bought you and Bella some breakfast. Love, your father."

I took the note off the fridge, looking at it in wonder. Dad never did anything like this- he just sort of ignored me most of the time. What had driven him to doing something this…this nice for me? I shook my head. I guess even guys my dad's age were difficult to understand at times.

When I went back to the couch to wake up Bella, I noticed that the photo album was missing.

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**Dramatic ending!! :) Wow...Freya's dad did something nice for once. Hmm...**

**Well, I hope this chapter wasn't too stupid- I thought Freya deserved a bit of a "girl's night", since she hasn't really had one since before she became a hardcore werewolf. **

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	9. My Fathers

**Disclaimer: Yeah. So. I still don't own Twilight. :) Just thought I should let you know!**

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"Hey, Bella, I'll walk you home," I offered with a yawn as I pulled a brush through my hair. "I'd drive, but Riff's disappeared again, and I don't own a car."

"Oh, thanks, Freya," she grinned.

"No problem."

Once we were dressed and presentable and all that, Bella and I started our walk through the woods. It was green and beautiful, with drops of dew shining on the leaves and grass all around us. It smelled like rain.

I breathed the scent in, loving it…until I smelled something sickly sweet.

Suddenly, I was on full alert. Yes…I could hear the vampire inching its way closer, apparently under the impression that I had not heard her. Victoria- I could recognize her scent from a mile away.

"Bella, don't move," I ordered my newfound friend. "There's a vampire."

"Oh, it's probably just Edward," she chuckled cheerily. "I should go say hello."

"No!" I barked. "It isn't Edward. Trust me." I held her back. Who knew what Victoria was planning. She could jump out of the trees at any moment.

"Ah…two little human children. How endearing." Victoria's fiery red head popped out from above us, in the trees. She jumped down, landing right in front of us. "Hello again, Isabella," she smirked. How could she manage to make her voice sound so honey-sweet…but also sound so malicious?

"Hello, Victoria," Bella replied, holding her ground. I had to give it to her- this girl didn't scare easily. "How have you been? I daresay we haven't kept in touch as well as I would have liked."

"Oh, believe me," she grinned. "I've tried, Bella dearest. Your werewolf friends have been making things…difficult, for me. But who do we have here?" she looked at me, her hand brushing my cheek.

I stood up straighter, a grimace etched across my face as the cool, rock finger slid down to my jaw. "Not the best smelling flower I've seen, but a flower none the less," she crooned. "You will make a fine appetizer, and a good show for little Miss Bella before it's her turn." She laughed maniacally, her hair whipping out behind her.

"Don't touch her," I ordered as she made her way toward Bella.

"Oh, but you don't know how long I've been waiting to do this," she responded, sniffing the air around Bella's neck.

"I said," I repeated with a growl. "Don't. Touch. Her."

She turned her head toward me, tilted slightly to the side in confusion. I took the opportunity to take a right hook to her jaw. It hurt like crap, sure- just like hitting a rock. But she felt it. I could tell- I'd probably broken her jaw by the way she was screeching.

"Werewolf!" she screeched in surprise, starting to run away. But it was too late- I'd already shed my loose-fitting sweats and T-shirt and phased, and was already at her neck with my teeth. Unfortunately for me, she was pretty fast, too. She shoved me off of her, and I went flying ten feet away into a tree trunk. I attacked again, pushing her farther and farther into the forest and away from Bella.

We rolled along the forest floor, taking snaps at each other.

_Help? Anybody!_ I exclaimed. But none of the other wolves were out- it was nearly nine in the morning, after all.

"Your friends aren't coming," Victoria noted. I cursed, realizing that while I was calling out for help, the bit- err…witch- had wrapped her icy hands around my leg. Quick like lightning, I grabbed one of her arms and ripped at it with my teeth. It came off, and she screamed. She grabbed the arm, stood up, and stomped on my leg. I heard a disgusting crack. "I will finish you," she whispered in my ear. "Not now. But someday soon. Your days are numbered, child."

I growled up at her, and watched as she darted away. When I was positive that she was long gone, I hauled myself up and limped back to the place where I'd left Bella. She was still standing there, shaking, holding my clothes in her arms. I phased, and she handed me my clothes. After I'd changed, I grabbed her forearm forcefully and started dragging her away from the scene.

"Where are we going?" she asked me.

"We are going to get you someplace safe," I informed her. "Victoria's gone for now, but she could be back any second. And frankly, I can't fight her again- not when I'm like this," I winced as my leg touched the ground.

"Oh, God, you're hurt!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah…don't worry, wolves heal fast," I assured her. "What's important right now is to keep you safe."

"Freya?"

I froze, and turned around slowly. Naturally, Owen was standing right there. And judging by the shocked look on his face, he'd heard a lot of our conversation. "Owen, what are you doing here?" I asked him, flustered. I'd never been in this situation before- I'd never let my concentration lapse enough to get caught in the act of phasing. I had no idea what I was going to do.

"I heard you and Bella talking…what the hell is going on?" he asked. "What happened to your leg?"

"I fell out of a tree," I lied. "I was using wolves…as…umm…target practice. They heal pretty quickly," I added.

"Bull."

So…lying didn't work. If only he'd just gone with the lie…it was a lot easier to believe than the truth. "Come here," I ordered. He did so, and I grabbed his arm as well. "We've got to get out of here," I muttered, pulling the group closer to our destination.

"Seriously, Freya, where are we going?" Bella asked again.

"We're going to your boyfriend's place," I answered, my teeth clenched. "Owen, I'm going to get you a ride home," I informed him. "Once you're home…stay away from the forest. It isn't safe."

"Freya, are you feeling alright?" he asked, stopping me in my tracks. "You're burning up…"

"I'm fine," I nodded. "It's you two I'm worried about. Come on- walk."

"I saw you," he admitted at last. "You were a dog…and now you're you. You're Calypso."

I froze again. "Crap," I muttered, doubling my pace. "Ok, now we seriously need to get going."

"Why did you turn into a dog, Freya?" he demanded, sounding almost angry. "I need you to answer me. I think I'm going crazy."

"Don't worry," Bella assured him. "You're just as sane as me."

"I'm a werewolf, Owen," I admitted. "That's all you need to know right now."

"Oh, shit," he breathed. "You're a- you were that dog. The dog we found on the side of the road."

"No," I amended him. "I'm the _wolf_ you found on the side of the road. The one you picked up against its will, and dragged to your house, and then drowned in bathwater." I grimaced at the memory. "Showers are so much better…"

We arrived at the house, and of course everybody was surprised to see us- I mean, Alice couldn't see werewolves. I pounded hard on the door, and Edward let us in, looking panicked. I hobbled over to the couch, blood trailing behind me. "I'm sorry about your carpet, Esme," I apologized with a groan. "I'm not bothering anybody, am I?"

"Of course not," she replied. Alice, in the back of the room, stood with her nose pinched between her fingers. Thank God werewolves smelled so bad- I would have hated to cause one of the vampires to go into a blood-induced frenzy. That wouldn't play too well with Bella and Owen, I'm sure.

"We had a bit of a run in with our red-headed friend," I hissed as I accidentally moved my leg.

"Let me get Carlisle," she offered, hurrying off into the next room.

"So…this is the Cullen place," Owen whistled. "They aren't werewolves, too, are they?"

"Owen, don't," I ordered. "You can't tell _anybody._ If you do, I will personally tear you apart in your sleep. Do you understand that?" He nodded, looking more than a little freaked out.

"We aren't werewolves," Carlisle assured him, entering the room with his medical bag. "Go ahead and lay down, Freya," he ordered me. I did so, grimacing at the movement of my leg.

"You didn't walk all the way here with a broken leg, did you?" Edward gasped, taken aback at my apparent stupidity. Thanks, Edward, for pointing out that it isn't wise to walk a mile on a broken leg. Cause, I totally didn't just figure that out for myself.

"You wouldn't have been very appreciative if I'd gotten your girlfriend killed," I responded, more than a little annoyed by now.

"I knew I shouldn't have let her be around werewolves," Edward groaned. "Look what happened!"

"Umm, excuse me, but last time I checked, werewolves weren't the ones doing the attacking. Who would that have been…oh yeah. The vampires," I hissed the last part under my breath, quietly so that Owen couldn't hear. Ok, this kid was really starting to tick me off. I glared at him.

"Edward, I'd just shut up now if I were you," Jasper advised from his usual hiding spot at the back of the room.

"Seriously, Freya, what's going on?" Owen asked me yet again, sounding really freaked out. "What happened to you?"

"Oh…I had a bit of an accident. Klutzy me, you know?" I lied. "Carlisle here's the doctor down in—"

"I know who the Cullen's are," he grumbled.

"Oh…hi, Owen," Edward greeted him, as if he'd noticed my friend for the first time in the five minutes we'd been in the house.

"Could one of you give him a ride home?" I asked. "I'd walk…but it might be a few hours. I don't want him hanging around here." Because he was annoying the shit out of me with all his questions.

"Emmett can drive him," Carlisle nodded, starting to dab alcohol on the various cuts I'd acquired in my fight with Victoria. "Edward, would you like to take Bella home?"

"I want to stay here," Bella remarked. "With Freya. She saved my life."

"I'd like to stay, as well," Owen decided.

"You don't have a choice," I informed him. "Emmett, drive him home."

"I really would like to stay," he repeated himself, grabbing my arm protectively.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. I didn't know why, but everything was making me really, really…mad. Owen, Edward, the sting of the alcohol, Bella's grip on my hand, the fact that Victoria was on the loose, again…I was just so angry. I began to shake.

"Freya…"

"Go," I ordered again, trying to calm myself. "Owen, if you get hurt…if I hurt you…God…" I closed my eyes, my heart tearing in half at just the thought of hurting anybody, especially a guy as sweet as Owen. "Please," I begged.

"Fine," he sighed. "But we're going to see that movie one of these days, right?"

"Sure," I nodded. "Of course. I'll see you around."

He let Emmett drag him out of the house. "Sam is going to kill me, isn't he?" I groaned. Werewolves weren't supposed to let humans know that we existed. It was…well, it was like a law. "Don't blow the secret," Sam always said. Well, I'd just blown it- big time.

"Maybe not," Carlisle shrugged. "It was an accident, after all."

"I should have lied," I decided. "I should have slapped him upside the head with a tree branch, and lied. But now he knows…and he'll know about you soon enough…oh, God, this is not going to be good. Two humans in Forks who know…soon it will be three, then five, twenty five…" My head was beginning to spin, and I was seriously seeing stars. My forehead was hot- way hotter than even a werewolf should have been.

"She's burning up, Carlisle," Edward pointed out needlessly.

"I'm always burning up, idiot," I grumbled. "I'm a werewolf. It's kind of what we do."

"She wasn't bitten, was she?" Carlisle asked, ignoring me. Oh, I hated being ignored.

"Jasper, a little help, please?" I begged, feeling ashamed of myself as my hands continued their shaking. I closed my eyes as calm passed over me, courtesy of Jasper Hale and his gift for mixing up people's emotions.

"I don't think so," Edward replied to Carlisle's theory, shaking his head. "I can't smell any venom on her blood. The leg must have gotten infected. If we clean it out, she should be fine by morning."

"I'm calling Sam," Carlisle decided. "She's part of his pack- he should be able to decide what we do with her."

"What about my dad?" I asked with a frown. "That's supposed to be his job. He's my dad…"

"I didn't know if you were speaking to your father," Carlisle said apologetically. "I should not have been so presumptuous. I'll call both of them."

Bella knelt by the side of the couch, pressing a cold rag to my forehead.

"Thanks," I panted. "It's just…so hot in here…" I let my eyes close, enjoying the cool feel of the rag on my head. For all I knew, I could have been in heaven…I let myself relax, and drift off to sleep, completely comfortable with being surrounded by vampires.

"Freya," my father's voice broke the unnatural silence that had surrounded me while I slept. I opened my eyes, and saw him standing over me.

"What happened to you?" I asked him in surprise. That last time I'd seen my father, his hair was grey, and there were bags under his eyes. He had worn glasses, and he was starting to get a little chubby. Now…the grey was gone. My father was in remarkable shape, his face was smooth. The glasses were gone. He could have been twenty-five years old, instead of forty-eight.

"What happened to _you_?" he countered with a half a smile. "Got yourself tangled up with another vampire, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess," I replied warily, sitting up.

"We're going home," he announced.

"Ok." I started to sit up, accepting my father's decision automatically.

"I think we should take her back to my place," Sam interrupted us, his hand resting on my shoulder. "Emily could help heal her- she's been doing so for the rest of the pack for years now. She would be better off with the rest of the pack."

"She's my daughter," my father reminded him. "She belongs with me."

"She's my daughter, too," Sam argued. "Freya is part of my pack, and that makes her family. I really do think she would heal better under Emily's care, Markus."

"It's your fault she's hurt like this," my father growled. "You should always have someone on patrol- no wolf should be left alone. I was part of the pack, once upon a time. I remember, Sam."

"I thought that Freya could handle being on her own," Sam retorted. "She's strong- stronger than many of the boys. She's fast, and smart. Clip is more dangerous than she realizes. She was wonderful out there- coming away from a one-on-one fight with one of the most lethal vampires the pack has ever seen with nothing more than minor injuries. Victoria was just too much for her to handle alone."

"She wouldn't have had to handle her alone if you'd had some more wolves on patrol!" my father exclaimed, his face red.

"We only have—"

"Ten wolves? Eleven, if you'd allow me to take a few rounds. Don't tell me you don't have enough wolves, Sam."

"What do you want me to do, Markus?" Sam demanded. "Have the kids out twenty-four seven? That would include your daughter," he reminded my dad. "She would have to work twice as hard as she already is, as well. Do you want that?"

I noticed that my father's hands had begun to shake. "Dad…breathe," I reminded him. "It really isn't a big deal, you guys. I want to go home- Emily can come take care of me if she wants to, but I've had a really long morning, and I just want to go home." I looked up at the pair of father-figures that I'd grown to love and respect over the years, my eyes pleading. I was exhausted- so exhausted, I managed to let a small tear slip down my cheek. I blushed, hurrying to wipe the tear away.

"Ok," Sam sighed. "I'm sorry we didn't just ask you first."

"Help me up, will you, Dad?" I lifted my arms up to him, expecting him to pull me to my feet. Instead, he surprised me by scooping me up in his arms and carrying me out the door. "See you guys later, I guess," I said, waving to the Cullen's, and to Bella.

"I'll call you later," she promised me.

"Alright…adios, mis amigos!" I exclaimed as Dad set me down carefully in the passenger seat of Riff's truck. He started up the engine, and drove the five miles back home.

"Hey…Dad," I yawned as he carried me upstairs to my bedroom.

"Hmm?"

"Thanks for the doughnuts," I whispered, resting my head against his chest and closing my eyes.

That night, I dreamed that I was a little girl again. I had a father who loved me and carried me upstairs when I fell asleep on the couch on family movie nights, and an older brother who taught me how to read and hotwire cars. My mother took me shopping and told me how pretty I looked even though I was wearing red pants with a purple shirt. I had a family- a whole, healthy, normal family.

For the first time since my mom left us, I felt completely whole.

Too bad it was just a dream.

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**Aww:( Poor Freya:( There are times I just want to give her a hug, you know?**

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	10. When Things Go Wrong, Blame it on Dad

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Twilight. I own Freya and Owen, and a giant stuffed panda...but not Twilight. **

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**Chapter Ten**

The next morning, I was feeling more rested than I had in weeks.

Of course, that may have been due to the fact that it was nearly twelve in the afternoon when I finally woke up, so I'd been asleep for roughly twenty-four hours.

I stood up and walked to my closet to pick out an outfit for the day. I noticed that my leg was a little stiff, but at least I wasn't gasping with pain every time I took a step…thanks to Carlisle, I'm sure. Once I was dressed, I made my way downstairs where my dad was sitting at the kitchen table, reading the paper.

"I thought the cliché was coming downstairs to find your father reading the paper in the morning, not the afternoon," I commented, getting his attention.

"Oh…Freya. You're up." He smiled at me, folding the paper and putting it down on the table. "Are you hungry? I can make you a sandwich, or something…"

"I'm good," I replied. "But thanks."

"Are you feeling alright?" he asked, looking worried. "Your leg healed up ok?"

"Oh, yeah, I feel loads better," I chuckled, remembering how badly my leg had hurt me just twenty-four hours ago. Oh, yeah, I was definitely feeling better. I'd have to call up a few people and apologize for yelling at them the day before…

"Jake called," Dad announced unceremoniously as he flipped through the paper. "He wanted to stop by, but I told him you were asleep. He says hi."

"Jake called?" I breathed, my heart beating just a little bit faster. Hey- look at that! He did care whether I lived or died! "I guess I'll have to call him back later, then…"

"Sure," my father shrugged.

"Have you heard from Sam?" I inquired while I dug around in the refrigerator for anything edible, seeing as I was absolutely famished. I settled on some leftover pizza I found somewhere in the back of the fridge. Not caring enough to heat it up in the microwave, I took a bite out of the crust.

"That's weird," my dad commented.

I shrugged. "Never claimed to be normal," I pointed out as I spat the pizza out into the trashcan. I guess I just didn't notice the mold when I got it out of the fridge… "So…_have_ you heard from Sam?" I repeated myself. "I need to know when to go on patrol."

"No…he told me to give you a day or two off," he informed me. "You've had a rough month."

I frowned, thinking about the past month that I'd had. Let's see…I'd a) maybe imprinted on my enemy's friend b) been attacked by a group of pervs down in Port Angeles c) been attacked by my father in wolf form for going to a bookstore that reminded him a little too much of my mother d) kissed my best friend e) become best friends with my enemy, and f) been attacked by a vampire. Hmm…yeah. Not the best month ever, I guess.

"Wow…this has been a crappy month," I realized for the first time. Only I could run into that much trouble within such a short period of time without even trying.

"Watch your language, Freya," my father growled, looking menacingly at me over his paper.

I chuckled. "You let me run around the forest, beating up vampires…but you scold me for using bad language? You really have your priorities straight, Dad," I teased him.

To my surprise, he heaved a heavy, labored sigh that made me want to reach over and give the poor guy a hug. "Freya…I don't have my priorities straight. They've been all out of whack ever since your mother left us."

"You're doing fine, Dad," I assured him gently.

"No," he argued. "I'm not doing fine. I _neglect_ my _children_, Freya. I don't even know when to pick you up from soccer practice anymore."

"Dad…I quit soccer last year," I reminded him, chewing on my lip nervously. It made me really uncomfortable to see Dad like this. Normally, he was always so sure of himself to the point of being almost arrogant. Now…he was feeling insecure and vulnerable, and I knew it. It was really starting to freak me out.

"Really?"

"Yeah," I nodded.

"Do you see my point?" he groaned, looking as if he were about to start yanking the newly darkened hair right off his head. "I've been such a horrible father, to you and to Tony. It isn't fair to either of you, and I'm sorry. You've already had your mother taken from you- you shouldn't have to lose a father, as well."

"You lost someone, too, Daddy," I whispered. "And I get it- I was upset too, for a while. But…I'm over it now," I shrugged. "She's gone. She didn't love us enough to stick around, and she left. She obviously doesn't miss us too much- why should we extend that courtesy to her?"

"I wish I could think of it the way you do, Freya," he sighed. "I really do."

"Why did she leave?" I asked, voicing the thought carefully. It was something I'd wanted to know ever since she'd packed up the minivan and driven off almost a year ago. Never before had I gathered up enough courage to ask, though- I'd been too afraid of what my father would do. But now…I knew that he was never going to lose control around me again. I could tell by the way he was eyeing the scars on my shoulders…the scars _he'd_ created.

"It was my fault," he admitted. "Just like everything else."

"Daddy…don't talk like that," I scolded him.

"We had…an argument," He admitted, folding his paper and laying it down on the table.

"About what?"

"You."

"Me?" I gasped, shocked.

He nodded miserably. "It was right after your first transformation. Do you remember how proud I was of you?" he chuckled. "My little werewolf girl."

I laughed with him, smiling as I remembered the way his face had lit up when I'd finally figured out how to transform back into myself. I'd been shaking with fear, seriously confused, and not to mention extremely upset because I'd accidentally ripped up my dress for Homecoming. Dad had been glowing with pride. He'd hugged me, and perched me on his shoulders. He'd taken me down to Sam's house and bragged about how I'd phased back in record time. And then he'd taken me shopping for a new dress.

"Well…" he continued, "your mother wasn't very excited, if you recall. She could hardly handle living with one werewolf…having two in the family nearly drove her up the wall. Finally, she just said that she couldn't take it anymore. That she was leaving. And then she was gone."

Was it just me, or could I see a tear forming in the corner of his eye?

"I'm sorry, Daddy." I came up behind him, wrapping my arms tightly around his neck. I hated seeing him cry.

"She was my imprint," he continued. "It wasn't like I could go after her, or try to get her back. Even now…I just want her to be happy."

"I love you, Daddy," I reminded him, kissing my father on the forehead.

"I love you, too, sweetheart," he smiled, kissing me on the cheek. "Do you want me to stay home from work today? I don't have to go in…if you need me to stay…"

"No, I'll be fine," I assured him with a smile. "Go ahead and go- I'll still be in one piece when you get back, I promise."

"You'd better be," he growled playfully in my ear, hugging me tightly. "Love you, baby," he reminded me, kissing my hair. "I'll see you tonight."

"Ok," I grinned, watching him walk out the door. "Drive safely!"

"I always do!" he called back as he shut the door behind him and climbed into his car.

I couldn't believe it- I simply could not believe it. I sunk down on the sofa, and turned the new information over in my mind, scarcely daring to believe any of it. Could it possibly be that the reason he'd been ignoring me was because he thought that _I _hadn't wanted to be around _him?_ That I'd _blamed_ him for Mom's sudden disappearance?

And here I thought that your parents were supposed to be so much older and wiser.

Hah. Yeah, right.

Eventually, I decided that no matter how long or hard I thought about it, I would never be able to understand the way my father's mind worked. Instead of trying to figure it out, I pulled out my cell phone and started to dial Owen's number.

Of course, I then realized that I didn't actually have his number. Thus, I pulled out the enormous, dusty old phone book out of an upstairs closet. When I finally found his home phone number, I gave it a ring.

"Hello?" Owen's father answered on the third ring. "Who is this?"

"Hey, Mr. Anderson!" I exclaimed with a grin. "This is Freya Lust…Owen's friend. Can I talk to him for a sec?"

"Umm…sure," he decided hesitantly. "I'll go get him."

I heard some shouting in the background, and a little shuffling around. At last, Owen's voice filled my mind. "Hey, Freya!" he exclaimed. "I've been meaning to call you, but I couldn't find your number anywhere."

"Hey, Owen, I was wondering if you wanted to go see that movie tonight?" I offered. "Face Punch II."

"Oh…I kind of already saw it," he admitted. "With that girl- Lydia. It was really, really good."

"Oh…"

"But we can go see something else!" he added hurriedly. "Like, ah, that one chick flick that came out. Don't remember the name, but Lydia said it was supposed to be pretty good."

"Ah…sure," I shrugged. "Why not."

"There's a showing of it at nine," he continued.

"Sounds great."

"Alright-y then! I'll meet you there. Can't wait to see you tonight!"

"Right…bye, Owen," I frowned, hanging up the phone.

"I'll meet you there,"? What the hell was that supposed to mean? This was a date, right? Right?! Because that had kind of been my intention. Then he goes and is all like, "Oh, Freya, I've already seen this totally awesome movie, but how about we see this other sad, depressing love story instead, even though I know for a fact that you've seen it already? We'll go at nine o'clock at night, when all the perverted, annoying teenagers will be sitting in the front making out, and I won't even offer you a ride there. You'll just have to walk. But I can't wait to see you!"

Again- what the _hell?_

Nobody knows how to insult a girl better than Owen Anderson, apparently. Sighing, I tucked my phone in my pocket and went upstairs to grab a book. I jumped out the second-story window with ease, landing in my favorite spot underneath a huge, green, shady tree. Leaning against the tree, I cracked open my most recent Michael Crichton and began to read.

After two hours of filling my brain with conspiracy theories and whatnot, I started to get a prickly sort of feeling on the back of my neck…you know, that feeling that somebody's watching you? I looked up, sideways, all around…until I finally caught the glimpse of the leaves rustling up in the branches of a nearby tree.

"I can see you," I sighed.

To my surprise, Jacob Black dropped out of the tree, landing gracefully next to me. "Hey," he greeted me, stealing my book.

"Give that back," I chuckled, snatching at the book in his hands. He held it out of my reach, making good use of his unnatural height and his uncanny ability to annoy the living daylights out of me. "Please?" I begged, sticking my bottom lip out in a pathetic sort of pout.

"Alright," he grinned. "Here you go. Since you asked nicely, and all."

"What are you doing here, anyway?" I asked, collapsing back against the tree with a huff. "I thought you were hanging out with Bella today."

"Nah," he shrugged. "I'd rather hang out with you."

I blushed, trying to swing my hair in front of my face to hide my embarrassment. "I'm sure you've got something better to do," I muttered.

"Nope," he grinned. "Sorry- you're stuck with me."

"I've lived through worse," I laughed as he wrapped his ridiculously muscular arm around my shoulder. All I could say was- thank God Leah and I didn't have muscles like that. The steroid police would be all over us…

"Yeah, I guess you—"

He stopped mid-sentence to stare at me. His eyes had that amused, mischievous sparkle to them that made me want to run for cover.

"What?" I asked, laughing lightly to cover up my unease. That look never meant anything good- it generally meant that Jake was about to make fun of me for something.

"What are you doing?" he asked me with a grin. "Are you- no. You're not _checking me out_, are you?"

I thought guiltily back to just a moment before when I'd been staring at his gorgeous face and crazy-buff arms and chest. Crap- I was blushing again. "No, of course I wasn't," I snapped. "What are you on, anyway?"

"Aw, it's ok," he teased me, flexing his arm a little. "If I were you, I'd be checking myself out, too."

"You are so full of yourself, Jacob Black!" I exclaimed, shoving him playfully as a smile crossed my face.

He caught my hand in his, holding it tightly as he stared intently into my eyes. His hand reached up and brushed a stray strand of hair out of my eyes in such a gentle manner it had me blushing all over again.

"I really like you, Clip," he whispered, leaning forward so that his breath tickled my cheeks.

I realized then that I was pretty crazy about him, too- I took a leap of faith, so to speak, and crushed my lips against his.

It was amazing- like the pieces of my life, being the crazy, insane puzzle that it was, were finally starting to fall into place. I swear, if I had wings, I would have been absolutely soaring.

But then Jake went and ruined it by pushing me away.

"That was really nice and all, Clip," he said, looking impossibly sad and incredibly embarrassed as he stood up and started to walk away, "but you're not Bella. I'm in love with Bella- you're just not enough like _her._"

"But Jake!" I called after him, tears streaming down my face. He didn't turn around, didn't listen to me…he just kept on walking down the road, into the forest. I could see that he had Bella on his arm, and she was smirking at me, laughing. I felt an intense hate bubble up inside me when I heard that laugh…that high, tinkling, carefree laugh that Jake seemed to love so much…

"_Freya." _

I opened my eyes, surprised to see how dark it had gotten under the tree. "Freya, wake up," my Dad was saying, shaking me gently. "Are you alright?" he asked me, looking worried.

"Yeah…I'm fine…" I looked around me, blinking. So…it had been a dream? It had all been a dream. Jake hadn't emerged from the trees- hadn't let me kiss him, then blown me off.

Oh, thank God!

"You were crying," my father accused me, wiping the tears away with his index finger.

"Bad dream," I shuddered. It was the truth- I would definitely classify this experience as a nightmare. Note to self- do not, I repeat, NOT, let yourself fall asleep reading science fiction novels outside your house. Bad things are bound to happen.

"Well…come inside," he frowned. "You should get something to eat."

"What time is it?" I asked, yawning.

"It's almost eight thirty."

"Oh that late?" I frowned. "I've been out here for a while…come on, Dad," I said, letting him pull me up off the grass. "I'll make you something to--Oh, crap!" I exclaimed, suddenly remembering what I was supposed to do that night. "I've got to go…I've got a date with Owen tonight!"

"Owen? Who's Owen?"

"He's a friend," I shrugged. "I told him I'd go to a movie with him…but I've really got to go!" I dashed upstairs and got myself into the shower, out again, and looking presentable, all in fifteen minutes- a record for me. Once I was ready, I ran out the door and hopped in Riff's truck.

"Do you want the keys, sweetheart?" my dad called to me from the kitchen as I flew by.

"Not enough time!" I exclaimed. I hot-wired the car expertly (ironically enough, Riff was the one who taught me this remarkable trade when I was little) and had the car up and running in less than a minute. I drove way above the speed limit, and still managed to be three minutes later.

"You're late," Owen accused with a sigh as he met me in the parking lot.

"Sorry," I panted, not offering any more apology or explanation than that. He didn't deserve one- he was lucky I'd even bothered to show up. Yet he had the nerve to be all ticked off because I was a few minutes late. Poor boy, had to wait in the parking lot for a few extra minutes…he could have at least gone ahead and bought the tickets.

Feeling irritated and frustrated already, I was not looking forward to this date with Owen. The dream I'd had really wasn't helping matters much. I just kept thinking about how awesome it was to have Jake's lips on mine…

Then I'd catch Owen staring at me, probably wondering what in the world was making me stare off into the distance, completely lost in my own thoughts…guess this was going to be a really long date.

Well, at least he'd been smart enough to buy me chocolate at the concession stand.

* * *

**Please don't hate how I ended this chapter...I mean, I understand if you yell at me for the whole Jake-Dream thing- I was kind of yelling at myself while I was writing it. But SOMEBODY had to let Freya know how completely and totally PERFECT Jake was for her. It might as well have been her subconscious. **

**Anyway...I hope you liked this chapter! I'll admit, it's not the best one out there, but I hope you liked it none the less. **

**Penny for your thoughts?;)**


	11. You Broke My Heart, I Broke Your Face

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight!!**

**Just as an FYI...there are a few direct quotes from Eclipse in this chapter. Just thought I'd mention that I don't own them, either. :D **

**I'm so sorry, everybody!! I haven't updated maybe a week...I feel bad about that:( Sorry, guys. School's been hectic...but enough excuses. **

**Thanks for the reviews. I know I say this every single time I update, but it's totally true- your reviews TOTALLY MAKE MY DAY. You are all amazing:D **

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

I climbed into my bed that night and collapsed onto the soft comforter with a huff. I pulled the blankets up around me, and pulled them up over my head. The date with Owen had gone a lot worse than I'd intended.

First of all, I'd already seen the movie we- or rather, _he_- decided we should watch. He made me pay for my ticket and my popcorn, which is just plain rude if you ask me, and then…oh, then! Then, he had the nerve to try and kiss me! In front of the entire freaking theatre! Being the nice, sweet, forgiving person that I am, I gently shoved him away and slapped him across the face. We then spent the rest of the movie in awkward silence.

"Do you need a ride home?" he'd asked after the movie got out.

"No," I replied sharply. "I'd rather walk."

So I had- I'd walked all the way home. Mind you, it was five or six miles from my house to the theatre. Sure, he didn't know that my house happened to be right on the farthest edge of the reservation, but he knew how long it would take me to get home…and in my opinion, it should have been way harder to convince him that I was safe.

Oh, screw him.

I ended up making the hour-long walk home alone, in the dark. Oh, and did I mention that he made no attempt to follow me? He just made out in the theatre- or tried to, anyway- and then just…just let me storm out _alone._ I don't care whether the girl you take out is a vampire, werewolf, or one of the Harry Potter characters- you do not, under _any_ circumstances, let her walk home alone.

I think I can officially say that this whole…_whatever_ it is I had going with Owen, is over.

Needless to say, I didn't sleep well that night. My dream from earlier- oh, God, I just couldn't get that stupid werewolf out of my mind ever since- kept coming back to me. Every word he'd said…

"…_but you're not Bella. I'm in love with Bella- you're just not enough like _her_."_

I knew it was true. I wasn't naive- I knew how Jake fell about my new friend.

For that matter, I wasn't blind, either. I could see how pretty Bella was, how...fun she could be. And she was pretty. Her hair framed her heart-shaped face nicely, and her brown eyes were much more impressive than mine. She was thin, frail, and delicate- the kind of girl that guys like Jake feel they have to protect at all costs.

And then there was me. I was muscular for a girl- I always left the guys staring in the weight room when I benched twice as much as any of them could. I'd been one of the boys since I could remember…my flat chest didn't really help matters much. If I had to choose between Bella and myself, I'd choose Bella, too.

_Since when does Freya Lust go down without a fight? _asked a voice in the back of my mind. For a moment, I was confused- I mean, I wasn't in my wolf form. None of the pack should have been able to get inside my head.

Then I realized that the small voice? It was _mine._ It was my conscience. Just what I needed.

_Since now,_ I replied to the voice. _He wouldn't choose me- I wouldn't choose me, either. _

_Don't be so hard on yourself,_ the voice ordered. _You've got more going for you than you give yourself credit for. Don't believe it? Go ahead- take a look in the mirror._

I stepped closer to the mirror, analyzing myself.

_What do you see?_

A girl, with finely toned muscles and sun-tanned skin stared back at me with eyes as dark as her hair…those dark eyes with heavy bags beneath them, which until I'd washed my face a few minutes after I'd gotten home, had been cleverly disguised with impossible amounts of makeup. She was too…too boyish looking. Her curves weren't very defined, and every single part of her was flat, except for her too-big nose.

_Look harder._

I sighed, but did as my conscience (I still couldn't believe that I was actually _conversing_ with the voice) commanded.

I looked harder…trying to see something that I hadn't known was there. I looked…and looked…and looked. I didn't see anything special. Just me.

_But that's the special part,_ the voice continued. _You are who you are- you're special, Freya. If Jacob chooses Bella, you'll be alright- you will find someone who cares about you more than Jake ever could. _

Great…now my conscience was telling me to just forget about him.

_Not forget- just let go,_ my conscience corrected. _But…if you were willing to take a little risk…make a bit of a fool out of yourself…it could be worth it. If you cared enough about Jacob, that is. _

I brushed my hair back behind my ear, looking at my reflection. Was I willing to take a risk? What was I willing to risk? For Jacob? Was I willing to risk our friendship?

I didn't know.

I pulled out my iPod and stuck the headphones in my ears, desperate for some kind of distraction. I put the player on shuffle, absentmindedly brushing my hair as the music provided me with an adequate distraction from my current dilemma.

"_What do you say to taking chances?"_

I looked down at my iPod in surprise. Out all the 500 some songs I had on that thing, this is the first one that plays? Shaking my head with a slight chuckle, I skipped the song and went back to my hair-brushing.

"_I can't fight this feeling any longer…" _

Again, I looked down at my iPod. Or rather, glared down at my iPod. I switched playlists- hopefully to something with a little less Glee music. Just out of curiosity, I looked down to see what the first song would be. "I'd Do Anything" by Simple Plan. The song after that? "Come Right Out and Say It" by Relient K.

"Alright!" I screeched at my iPod, frustrated. "Fine! I get it! I'm in love with Jake! What do you want me to do about it?!"

I hurled the iPod across the room, where it landed safely on the bed. I groaned, sinking to the floor with my head over my head. It was times like these when I just wanted to take off out the window and start running…and never stop.

What was I supposed to do? I wished that somebody could tell me…or that I could just ignore the situation completely. But I knew that wasn't possible. I'd allowed this to escalate too far- I'd allowed myself to _fall_ for the stupid mutt. When it had happened, I had no idea. It had just sort of…hit me. Tonight.

What is a girl supposed to do in this kind of situation?

I realized then that my head hurt- probably from all the in depth _thinking_ I'd been doing the past couple days- so I headed downstairs and got myself an Aspirin. I happened to take a peek at the kitchen clock- it was nearly eleven. I popped the Aspirin in my mouth- without any water, because I was just hardcore like that- and dashed up the stairs and into my nice, warm, bed, allowing myself to slip into a peaceful, thought-free (not to mention Jacob-free) dream.

The next morning, however, all my care-free, Jacob-less dreams were cruelly ended by the obscene blaring of my phone. Groaning, I picked it up and answered. "What is it?" I demanded groggily.

"Clip, you couldn't possibly have been sleeping," Quil chuckled. "It's nearly eleven."

"What do you want?" I sighed, running my hand through my hair.

"Could ya cover my shift for me tonight?" he asked.

"Qui-il!" I whined. "Have you run a single shift all week?"

"Come on," he begged. "Claire-bear's sick. She practically begged me to stay with her tonight while her mom's out…if you'd wanted to stay home with Owen when he was sick, I'd understand."

"Don't talk to me about Owen," I growled, remembering the horrendous date form last night.

"Oh…what happened?" he asked.

"He thought he could get away with making out with me in front of a whole movie theatre full of people without me getting ticked off at him," I grumbled, running my hand through my hair.

"Well…that sucks," he admitted.

"Yeah. And I was actually trying to get a couple hours of desperately needed extra sleep. So, if you don't mind…"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it…but before you go pass out on your couch…"

"I've got your patrol covered," I sighed. "Tell Claire I say hi- and to feel better."

"Will do!" Quil replied brightly. "See you around!"

"Sure," I chuckled. I couldn't help it- seeing the way Quil reacted at the mention of his imprint was kind of funny. Poor guy- he didn't have the option to say, "Umm, you annoy me, and I don't like you. Go away." I still had that freedom, however, and I fully planned to act upon that freedom the next time I came into contact with Owen Anderson.

I let myself relax the rest of the day, not worrying about my current love life and its many problems. Instead, I worried about my brother, whom I hadn't seen in over twenty four hours. I called his cell- it turned out that he was out bowling with a few friends. He invited me to join him.

So I did.

By the time I got home five for my patrol, I had completely forgotten about Jake…well, almost forgotten about him, anyway. Riff offered to drive me down to Sam's place, so I let him- we talked for a while, which we hadn't been able to do a lot recently, since Riff's a student at UCLA. He was currently on summer vacation, but I'd been so busy with the pack…we hadn't gotten to engage in any "sibling bonding time" in quite some time.

"Thanks for the ride, Riff," I thanked him, giving him an awkward hug across the car.

"No problem," he chuckled, ruffling my hair. "I don't suppose you need a ride home?"

"Nah," I shrugged. "I can walk…but thanks."

"See you at home. Be careful," he reminded me.

I rolled my eyes at him, a grin spread wide across my face. "I'm a werewolf, Riff- we don't need to be careful."

"Smart aleck," he muttered, starting up his car. "Adios, chica."

"Adios, Senor!" I called back to him, waving as he pulled his truck down the drive.

When he was gone, I said hello to Emily, and then went outside to phase.

Three hours later, I sank down onto Emily's couch, wiping the sweat off my forehead with the back of my hand. During my patrol, I'd sort of gotten a bit carried away, and run twice as fast as needed. It had been fun, don't get me wrong…but now I was just plain exhausted.

"You mind if I borrow your shower, Em?" I asked her.

"Of course," she replied with a smile, getting me a clean towel and leading me to the bathroom. I then proceeded to take a nice, warm, luxurious shower, making sure to help myself to the sweet-smelling soap and shampoo- as Emily had instructed, of course. Once I was done, I saw that she had washed my clothes for me, and had them laying out on the floor.

Bless her.

I dressed quickly and squeezed some of the water out of my hair with the towel. I hugged Emily, thanking her profusely, and then headed out the door, looking forward to a peaceful walk by myself through the woods.

As I neared Jake's house, I felt strongly compelled to drop by for a visit- you know, just to say hi. He was my best friend, after all, and the fact that I was in love with him had nothing to do with it. Or…at least that's what I was telling myself as I emerged through the woods on the opposite side of his house.

To my surprise, I found him pacing up and down in front of the front door, holding onto Bella's wrist in a viselike grip.

I inched further toward the house, wondering whether he was ok or not. I mean, he looked pretty upset- and Bella looked pretty confused. I was just about to jump into the conversation to see what was up when Jake stopped pacing, and spoke.

Having the enhanced hearing of a werewolf, I of course had to endure the entire conversation.

"I'm in love with you, Bella," Jake said at last. He sounded awfully sure of himself for a guy who had, only a few days ago, been kissing somebody else. "Bella, I love you," he continued. "And I want you to pick me instead of him. I know you don't feel that way, but I need the truth out there so that you know your options. I wouldn't want a miscommunication to stand in our way."

I don't know who felt more surprised by this sudden declaration- Bella, or myself. I know I was really freaking out. My knees were shaking, my heart was working double time, and I swear that when I closed my eyes, I could see a white light off in the distance. My face was burning bright red as I thought about what a fool I'd been…to go falling for somebody like Jake and then expect him to drop everything, for _me_…

I was beginning to feel that my date with Owen was going to be the highlight of my day.

The conversation continued, I'm sure, but I didn't really want to hear any of it. I sunk down to the ground, hardly able to believe any of this. I'd been the rebound girl. The one the guy makes out with because he can't have the chick he actually wanted. The imprinting thing suddenly became a lot less mysterious, as well. I'd been flattered into thinking that Jake had wanted me to ignore Owen because he'd wanted me for himself. But oh, no. He'd just wanted to know whether or not he'd be able to ignore his imprint to be with Bella- he'd used me as his own personal guinea pig.

This day just keeps getting better and better!

Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, Jake lifts his hand up to Bella's face- in the same gentle, sweet way he had done to mine not too long ago- and kissed her.

Only this wasn't the pathetic, self-conscious kind of kiss that Jake had oh-so-gracefully bestowed upon me. He actually meant it this time. I could tell. Judging by the way Bella was grabbing at his face, she meant it, too.

Which meant that I was basically screwed. Realizing this, I started to walk away from the scene, eager to hop into my bed and stay there for a couple of days, watching chick flicks and eating inhuman amounts of junk food.

"Are you done yet?" Bella asked, her tone eerily lacking expression.

I spun around on my heel with surprise, gauging the look on Bella's face. She was ticked off- almost as ticked off as I was. When Jacob sighed, "Yes," she pulled back her arm, and brought her fist forward with a CRACK!

Only, it wasn't Jacob's nose that had been broken. It was Bella's hand.

"OW!" she screamed, hopping up and down and clutching her broken fist.

"Are you alright?" Jake asked, looking concerned.

"Don't you ask me if I'm alright, Jacob Black!" she exclaimed angrily. "You broke my hand! And don't you even care about Freya? At all?"

Jake's face went blank. "What does this have to do with Freya?"

"She told me, Jake," Bella sighed. "She told me what you did- that you kissed her."

"She took that the wrong way, Bells," he explained. "I didn't mean anything by it. She'd been hurt…and it'd scared me a little, is all. I overacted to the situation. I told you- I love _you_. How's your hand?"

"Don't turn this back to me!" she exclaimed.

"Bella…"

"Didn't I hurt you at all?" she pouted.

"Are you kidding? If you hadn't started screaming, I might not have figured out that you were trying to punch me."

"I'll do it again," she threatened.

"Oh, no, please," I said, revealing my location at last as I stepped out from among the trees. "Let me, Bella." I brought my fist back, and flung it as hard as I could at his face. I heard a satisfying crack as Jake's nose began spewing blood. "Asshole," I spat at him.

"Freya? Were you spying on us?!" he exclaimed in shock.

"No! I was just walking by to pay you a visit," I replied defensively.

"How much did you hear?" he demanded, holding his hand over his nose.

"Enough," I replied coldly. "I can't believe you, Jake. I finally get it- I'm your friend, so you do whatever you want with me and get away with it. First the imprinting shit, using me as your little experiment…"

"Stop it, Freya," he pleaded.

"And now I'm in this huge mess with Owen! He found out, Jake- he knows about us!" I exclaimed.

"You told him? What were you thinking, Freya!" he yelled.

"Oh, so it's my fault?!" I exclaimed. "You know how he found out? He saw me phase- the other day, when Victoria attacked me and Bella."

I heaved in a shaky breath, trying to get control over my shaking hands. When I finally spoke again, my tone had no expression at all. My eyes were closed, and I liked to imagine that my face betrayed no emotion at all. "You know what, Jake? It's over. All of it- I'm done."

"Could you drive me to the Cullen's place?" Bella asked, her voice small.

"Don't talk to me," I warned her, noticing the way my hands shook faster when I heard her speak. I grabbed her by the arm and dragged her to Jake's car. I hotwired it expertly, and drove it down to Cullen home.

When we finally arrived, Bella was in tears, clutching her hand to her chest, and I was struggling not to cry myself. Edward was at the door, already walking toward us with his arms stretched out.

"Bella…are you alright?" Edward asked gently, stroking her hair.

"Keep a closer eye on your girlfriend, will you?" I snapped at him.

"Freya…" his voice was gentle, and understanding. As if he knew what I was feeling at this moment. Which, of course, he did.

"Get out of my head," I pleaded, my eyes squeezed shut.

"Don't be angry with me," Bella begged, wrapping her arms around my neck like some little kid apologizing to their parents when they got caught stealing cookies from the cookie jar. "I didn't want this to happen…"

I pushed her away forcefully into Edward's arms- he then dragged her back a few feet.

"Freya, please understand," she pleaded, her eyes wide. "I don't want you to be angry with me- you're the first girl friend I've had in a really, really long time. I don't want to lose you, Freya."

I sighed, running my unsteady hand through my hair, resulting in a wet, tangled clump that would take forever to get out once I got back home.

"I'm not angry with _you,_ Bella," I assured her. "I don't want to lose you either. Which is why I have to leave."

"Don't you want to talk about it?" she inquired hopefully. "We could come up with ways to make his life miserable?"

I chuckled. "That's sweet of you, Bells…but I meant it literally. What I'm trying to say is…I don't want to kill you, Bella," I choked the words out. "It would be far too easy, when I'm…like this. I didn't know if you understood before," I explained my frankness. "I didn't want you to think that being around me was always entirely safe."

"I know," she swallowed. "And I don't care."

"You can take this up with Jacob some other time," I sighed. "I've got to get out of here…I promise, we'll talk as soon as I can control myself. Take these," I ordered, tossing Edward the keys to Jake's car…which I'd found in the ignition but had decidedly ignored, because hotwiring Jacob's car gave me a bit more satisfaction than turning the keys. "Hide them," I ordered. "It's the least I can do for my good friend."

Bella nodded, and watched me as I ran off into the forest. I didn't know where I was going- nor did I care. But as soon as I crossed the boundary, I phased mid-run and spent the next five or six hours burning off steam. I soon discovered that the faster I ran, the less I hurt.

I also discovered that no matter how long, hard, or fast I ran, nothing could take away this unbearable pain in my chest completely.

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**You know? Normally, I'd be all like, "Freya!! Violence isn't the answer!" when she punched Jacob...but he totally deserved it. Anybody agree??? **

**Well, I hope you liked this chapter:) I'll try to update again as soon as possible:D**

**Penny for your thoughts?;)**


	12. The Best Cure to a Broken Heart

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. **

**Ok...so I'm pretty proud of myself:D I've already got Chapter 12 up. Hopefully now you guys will forgive me for taking so long with Chapter 11... **

**Hey, guess what?! This story's already got over 1,200 hits! Which is kind of a big deal for me! Thanks, guys!! :):)**

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**Chapter Twelve**

It always seemed to me that when a girl gets her first broken heart, her mother is always at home waiting for her with open arms. Of course, my mother was too doing something exciting- such as climbing Mount Everest or backpacking around Europe…or maybe even falling off a nice, fifty-foot cliff- to be there for her only daughter. So instead of a mother's warm, open arms, I collapsed onto my bed in a heap and struggled not to cry.

_Tears are for the weak._

It's what I'd always told myself. When I was little, and I'd watched my father go out for his rounds, he didn't cry. Nor did he when he was bitten by a vampire. When my father was told that he would probably never be able to phase again…he didn't shed a single tear. He was strong, and I would have given anything as a little girl to be just like him.

I guess I got my wish. Here I am; a teenage werewolf with some serious issues with talking about her feelings. God, I hope my dad never caught on to _that _one. He might send me to some psychiatrist or something. And Lord only knows how disastrous that would turn out to be.

My father…I wanted nothing more at that moment than for my father to come upstairs, ask me what's wrong, and tell me that it was ok to cry. It's what Mom would have done- it's what she used to do when I was little. She'd stroke my hair and kiss my cheeks, letting me cry for a while. When she'd decided that I'd had enough tears, she'd tickle me until I'd smile again. "I love you, Freya," she'd whisper in my ear before kissing me on the forehead. I'd hiccough and I love you in return, and she'd leave the room and let me sleep off whatever traumatic experience had made me cry.

Everything had seemed so perfect. Up until last year, that is.

I rolled over on my side, reaching under my bed for a good book. All this thought about my mother really wasn't helping to cheer me up.

Just as I was reaching for my book of choice- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince- the doorbell rang. In surprise, I jumped nearly a foot in the air. So of course, I fell over the side of the bed and onto my back. I looked up at the ceiling and groaned. Werewolves with super-fast reflexes weren't supposed to be startled into falling off their beds. It just didn't happen.

I pushed myself up off the floor, and made my way downstairs toward the door. I still wasn't quite sure if I wanted to open it or not…but I reached for the doorknob anyway. It might have been Riff, after all, having forgotten where the spare key was kept. I took a deep breath, and turned the doorknob to admit whoever it was standing outside into my home.

"Hey," Bella greeted me, her stony-faced boyfriend standing beside her, pinching his nose together with his fingers. His vampire scent rolled off him. It smelled like somebody had gone a little overboard trying to reenact a Febreze commercial. And then tried to cover it up by rubbing the walls with peppermint oil, or something.

"What are you doing here?" I snapped, letting the scent affect me more than I should have. I glared at the vampire, and he took a step back in surprise as he- no doubt- read my murderous thoughts.

"Maybe we should go, Bella," he suggested, taking her arm and moving a step back.

"No, Edward," she replied. Finally- standing up to the boyfriend. I'd never seen her do that before. Hmm. "How are you doing, Freya?" she asked me with a sheepish smile.

I shrugged. "I'm fine," I replied.

"Bull," she called my bluff.

"Bells…"

"I've found," she began, handing me a plastic bag full of groceries that she'd been hiding behind her back, "that the best cure to a broken heart, is a mountain of junk food, some chick flicks, a couple tubs of chocolate ice cream, and your best friend."

Oh, great. Now she was trying to get herself invited over to my house. Which I really wasn't in the mood for, seeing as she had just finished making out with Jake a few hours ago…

I took a deep breath, running my fingers through my hair. I had to remember that I wasn't angry at Bella- that she'd been trying to push Jacob away, but that arrogant dog had thought she was kissing him back…this was between me and Jake. Nobody else. With this realization in mind, I opened the door further to let the two of them in.

Bella hugged me tightly around the neck, and I clung to her pathetically. Soon enough, we were both standing in my living room, letting a few tears slip down our cheeks. Well, I'd only shed a few tears. Bella, meanwhile, was bawling, which made Edward feel really awkward as he stood leaning against the front door watching, probably wishing he could do something to help.

"I'm so sorry," Bella sniffed, wiping her eyes. "I didn't know…I hadn't realized what I'd been doing…I mean, I knew we were friends, but I didn't think he'd believe that I was in love with him, or anything. I guess I was doing the same thing to him that he did to you."

"It isn't your fault," I replied, trying to keep my voice steady. "It's Jacob's fault. He's such an idiot sometimes, I swear," I laughed. "I think I've got some pictures of him upstairs…we could blow them up and put them on my dad's old dartboard?"

"You sound like you've done that before," she chuckled, wiping at her eyes again.

"Yeah, well…Riff and I were kind of ticked when Mom left last year. It was either put her picture on the dart board or suddenly become familiar with the art of Voodoo…"

"I…suppose I will leave the two of you alone, then?" Edward suggested.

"Oh…yeah, we'll be fine, Edward," Bella smiled at him. "I'll be staying here with Freya tonight- I'll see you in the morning." She stood up on her tiptoes to plant a soft kiss on his cheek. He smiled at her, then walked out the front door.

After watching that wonderful little display of affection…I was even more depressed than before Bella had rung my doorbell. I sighed, sinking down onto the sofa. Bella, meanwhile, headed to the kitchen, where she started cooking up Lord knows what. Eventually, I decided I should get in there and help her out a little- Bella Swan was not known for her cooking abilities.

As it turned out, Bella was simply putting a bag of popcorn in the microwave. "I bought stuff to make cookies," she said as I entered the kitchen.

"Be prepared, Bella," I chuckled, fishing out the necessary ingredients from the depths of my refrigerator, "I make some pretty kick butt cookies."

An hour later, the house smelled like home-made cookies, and Bella and I were sitting in front of the TV watching Sleepless in Seattle with bowls of popcorn in our hands and trash littered around my feet. Just as I was putting a particularly chocolate-y cookie to my lips, my dad walked through the front door.

"Freya, what's going on?" my father asked, looking confused.

"Oh, hello, Mr. Beckett," Bella greeted him. We had just gotten through with a lengthy conversation about my last name. See, my dad's last name is Beckett, but my mother's is Lust. Seeing an incredible opportunity to make her daughter's love life as uncomplicated as possible- joke's on you, Mom- she'd kept her last name. Thus…Freya Selene Lust.

"Hello, Bella," he replied with a frown.

"Jake's an idiot," I exclaimed monotone-style, taking a vicious bite out of the cookie…secretly pretending that it was Jacob's head.

"Oh…so this is a…boy thing?" he asked, looking uncomfortable.

"No. It's a stupid, arrogant, presumptuous _dog_ thing," I muttered.

"Teenage boys are like that," my father sighed. "I would know. I was one, once."

I chuckled. "We can move upstairs, Dad, if you wanted to watch the game."

"No…I was just going to head over to Billy's place to watch it…if that's ok?" he frowned. "I don't know what the rules are, as far as seeing your daughter's ex's parents goes…"

"He isn't my ex," I snapped. "We were never together, thank God for that. Go ahead- have fun."

"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked with a frown. Of course- Dad had never seen me like this before. Heck, _I'd_ never seen me like this before. If it weren't for the fact that Bella was here, I would probably be out on patrol right now instead of sitting around getting fat off junk food.

"I've got it handled, Mr. Beckett," Bella assured him. "Tell Billy I say hi."

"Will do," my father smiled at us. He bent over, and kissed the top of my head before he left.

"He's gotten better," Bella noted, eating some more of her popcorn.

"Yeah," I shrugged. "We had a little talk."

She nodded, understandingly- hah! As if anybody understood the relationship my werewolf father and I had- and handed me another cookie. All my irritation was swept away as soon as the warn chocolate hit my tongue. "This stuff is like magic, I swear," I chuckled.

"I know. You're feeling better already, aren't you?" Bella grinned.

We watched another "chick-flick" type movie, but by the time it was over I was getting sick of the lovey-dovey crap that obviously never actually happened in real life. Noticing that I was beginning to depress myself again, she pulled out a movie I never thought I'd ever see her suggest we watch.

It was Lord of the Rings.

"Oh, my God, I love these movies," I breathed.

"Orlando Bloom," she nodded. "Best elf ever."

She put the movie in, and we spent the next couple hours with our eyes glued to the TV screen as we watched the epic storyline unfold…or at least, that's what I was interested in. The movie. Bella was pretty much in it for the actors.

But hey- whatever floats your boat.

"You know what, Bella," I said as we cleaned up the heaps of candy wrappers and other trash we'd left in the living room after the movie was over. "I feel a lot better now," I admitted. "I mean…I haven't really thought about him all night. Thanks."

"What are friends for?" she replied.

"Let's head upstairs," I yawned. "My Dad will be home soon…and I'm not really up for another awkward attempt at a father-daughter conversation right now."

"Sure," she shrugged, grabbing the next two movies on her way up the stairs to my room. I didn't have a TV in my room- I didn't spend much time in it, seeing as I was always out on patrol or at school, or sleeping on the couch downstairs once I finally got home and had time to relax. I did, however, have a pretty nice HP laptop.

I put the movie in and set the computer on the foot of the bed. Lying on our stomachs, barely an inch of space between us, I really did feel as if Bella and I were friends- perhaps even best friends. It was a nice feeling. I relaxed a little, and played the movie.

We were barely halfway through when I heard the Mission Impossible theme being knocked out on my window.

"Ignore him," I ordered, turning back to the movie. "It's just Jake."

"How can you tell?" she asked. "You can't see through the curtains…"

"That's his knock," I replied dryly. "When we were kids, we used to sneak over to each other's houses at night. That's his knock he used to use to let me know it's him. Takes some nerve to use it again now."

"So, you're just going to let him stay outside?" she guessed skeptically.

"No, of course not…he knows how to unlock the window," I muttered.

Right on cue, Jake picked the lock on the window and had swung himself up into my room. "Come on, Clip," he grinned sheepishly. "I know you haven't forgotten the knock."

"Of course I haven't," I grumbled, scowling at him. "I'm still not very happy with you, Black," I spat at him.

"Freya…"

"It's probably best if you leave her alone for a while, Jake," Bella said gently.

"Whoa, Bells? Where'd you come from!" he exclaimed in surprise.

"She's my best friend," I explained, my voice flat.

"Ha, ha, ha, Clip," he chuckled. "We all know that I'm your best friend."

Tears stung my eyes as I turned away from him. He was my best friend- he would always be my best friend, of course. But frankly, I wasn't in the best of moods at this moment, and the hurt that kept slicing through me like a rusty old knife somebody had forgotten to sterilize was making me want to hurt him, too. So I said the most hurtful thing I could think of.

I said absolutely nothing.

"Clip?" he pleaded. "Come on, don't do this."

"I…am going to go get something real quick," Bella said awkwardly. "I'll, ah, be back." She hurried out the door, closing it behind us. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying desperately not to have one of those flashback-moments when you think about all the awesome things a person has done for you over the years. The kind you have just before you forgive the person for doing something awful.

"Don't do this," Jake pleaded again. He rested his incredibly warm and inhumanly strong hands on my shoulders. Just that tiny little touch sent a shiver down my spine, and it took all my self control not to lean into him and let him comfort me. But no- Freya Selene Lust never went down without a fight.

I just crossed my arms over my chest, ignoring him.

"Please," he begged. "Clip…I know, I'm an idiot. I've been an idiot. I shouldn't have kissed you, I'm sorry," he apologized.

I huffed. Naturally, he'd apologized for one bit of _happiness_ he'd created in my life lately.

"But you knew," he pointed out. "You knew how I felt about Bella when I did it."

"Yeah, I knew," I admitted. "Sorry. I thought you'd finally come to your senses. Guess I was wrong."

"I never thought you'd take it that way," he continued. "I…I was really confused. I didn't know what I was doing…"

"And the pack was always under the impression that you had the most self-control," I chuckled. "Joke's on us, I guess."

"Yeah. I still can't believe you told Bella, though," he grumbled, his teeth clenching.

"Oh, you're worried I ruined your chances with her, then?" I guessed. "Trust me, the odds were never that great, anyway."

"She's under the impression that you're in love with me, or something," he groaned, his hands digging into my shoulders tensely.

I froze. "Where would she get a stupid idea like that?" I replied, trying to keep my voice steady. There was no way in _hell _that I was ever going to tell Jake how I felt about him- not after the events that had unfolded that night. "You kissed _me_, remember?" I added sharply.

"You aren't, are you?" he asked, sounding even tenser than before. "In love with me, that is?"

"Of course not," I replied quickly…perhaps a little _too_ quickly to be believable. "That would be stupid, Jake."

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God for that. I was worried there for a second," he chuckled. "I would feel so bad for any girl that ever fell for me. I'm such a mess- I might actually have to pay her compensation."

I chuckled lightly, thinking to myself that no amount of money could make up for the way loving Jake was hurting me right now. "I pity the girl who thinks she has a chance with you, Jacob."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, confused.

I shrugged. "You just seem to have issues keeping your hands to yourself, lately, is all."

"Freya…"

"I'm just joking," I said with a small smile. It was impossible for me to stay angry with Jacob for long. "Look…Bella and I are trying to watch a movie here."

"Can I join you?" he begged. "I love this movie."

"Yeah…I can't blame you," I teased him lightly. "Two hours of watching Orlando Bloom prance around the screen is really tempting."

He just rolled his eyes at me, getting comfortable on the bed. I sat up next to him, and he wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "We're still friends, right?" he asked me.

I rested my head on his shoulder. "I'll always be your friend, Jake," I sighed. I'd probably never be anything more than that, though. Kind of depressing, yeah…but hey, at least I got to sit here with him, his arm slung over my shoulders…

If a random stranger had walked by, they could almost confuse us for an actually couple. For some reason, that thought brought a smile to my lips. "Bella!" I called. "Come on! We're starting the movie!"

She hurried up the stairs and into my room. Jake patted the spot on his left, and she sat next to him. He threw his other arm around her shoulder. We sat there, the Three Musketeers…just like when we were little.

Ok, so maybe this hadn't all turned out like I'd wanted it to. Jake was still in love with Bella, and he thought that my punching him was more a matter of pride than anything else. Sure…he thought our relationship was purely platonic on both sides, but you know what? I didn't care too much. Not when Jake was this close to me- not when keeping this information from him meant that we could still be friends.

Yeah, I'd probably get tired of this arrangement eventually. But for now, I was watching Lord of the Rings on my laptop at one in the morning with my two best friends in the entire world. And that was quite alright with me.

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**Alright, so it sounds like Jake is forgiven...for now. We'll just have to wait and see if this argument resurfaces later;):)**

**Anyway...I hope you guys liked this chapter! I'll try and update ASAP! :)**

**Penny for your thoughts?;)**


	13. CliffDiving: Werewolf Style

**Disclaimer: You know that book?? Twilight??? I don't own it:) **

**Wow...it's been so long! I'm sorry guys!! I was really distracted, and couldn't make myself write all week...But I'm back now!! And once the weekend hits, I'm hoping to get at least chapter 14 done. **

**I'd like to thank my wonderful Beta, Rebecca Masen, for reviewing this chapter for me! :) **

**Ok, well...enjoy chapter 13!!**

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**Chapter Thirteen**

When I woke up the next morning, I was surprised to find Jake's arm still wrapped around me. I was even more surprised to find myself curled up against his chest. My eyes flew open with a start, and I quickly pulled myself away from him, my face getting very, very red. Thank God Jake slept like a rock…or is the phrase supposed to be "Slept like the dead"…

Or maybe he slept like a dead rock. I didn't know, and I didn't care- all I cared about was that he hadn't caught me snuggling up to him in the night. That would have totally ruined the "just friends" charade I was working so hard to put on.

Sunlight was streaming in through the window; I had to squint against the brightness as I looked around the room for Bella. She was nowhere to be found- I assumed that she was downstairs. Either that, or she'd been kidnapped by sadistic newborn vampires working for Victoria.

Hah. Yeah…as if they could get past _my_ super sensitive, vampire-seeking senses. Being a werewolf, and all, I could smell a vampire coming form a mile away. It wasn't exactly the kind of smell that's easy to miss, either. So I wasn't exactly worried about Bella as I tried to make Jake return to consciousness.

"Jake," I yawned, poking him hard in the chest. "Wake up."

"Five more minutes, please," he begged, pulling one of my feathery purple pillows over his head to block out the sunlight.

I chuckled. "You are such a child, Jacob. And you aren't even supposed to be here right now. My dad will kill you if he finds you in my room..."

"Shit," he groaned, his eyes flying open as he realized where he was. "I've got to split, Clip…I'm sorry I fell asleep," he apologized.

I shrugged. "By the looks of it, we _all_ fell asleep…I should have known better than to put in the second Lord of the Rings movie. Everybody knows the first and third movies are the best…"

I felt very accomplished when Jake granted me a laugh in return for that smart remark. "Yeah…of course. Every _nerd_ knows that," he teased me. "Still…I'm really sorry. I hope I don't get you into too much trouble."

"It's no big deal. I'll see you on patrol tonight, 'kay?"

"Sure," he nodded. "See you later."

He got up, and hugged me tightly. "Bye, Jake," I said at last, letting him go. "Oh…and before I forget…"

"What is it?" he asked in confusion as my fingers reached for his nose, which had- of course- healed perfectly since last night.

"I'm sorry about your nose," I laughed, tweaking his nose hard between my index and forefinger.

He grimaced at me, rubbing his nose with his hand. "Ow," he complained. "Was that necessary?" he muttered. I just looked at him, my eyebrows raised high on my face skeptically. "I guess I deserved it," he shrugged, grinning at me. "We're cool, right?"

"Of course," I smiled. "I'll see you around, Jacob." With that, he climbed out the window and took off into the forest. As I watched him go, my heart dropped about a foot in my chest. I shook off the feeling- I couldn't be with Jacob all the time. Not if I wanted to be friends with him.

Stalking often resulted in restraining orders.

"Bella!" I called, making my way downstairs. "Bells, where'd you go?"

"Did Jake leave?" she asked me. She was sitting at the kitchen table, a doughnut in one hand and some Jane Austen book in the other. Where does she get all these books? Crazy book-worm…I shook my head, sighing. I would never understand this chick and her obsessive _reading_. I loved books as much as the next person, but even I didn't bring _Pride and Prejudice_ with me to a _sleepover._

"Yeah, he just left," I replied, coming to sit next to her at the table. "Where'd the doughnuts come from?" I frowned at her, picking a particularly chocolate-y one out of the box with a napkin.

"Your dad brought them in this morning," she explained with a yawn. "Luckily, he didn't go upstairs. You would have been absolutely dead."

"It's not like anything happened," I replied with a shrug. "We watched a movie and fell asleep. You were there, too, so I have a witness."

"Fathers can be extremely overprotective," she reminded me. "So…how'd your little chat go last night, anyway?" she asked me, taking a bite out of her doughnut and putting the book down to look at me.

I shrugged unceremoniously. "It…it was ok. We got things all sorted out, anyway."

"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked with a frown. "Are you together? Are you mortal enemies? Come on, Freya, _elaborate_ a little. I can't read minds, you know."

I chuckled. Bells had _definitely _been spending too much time with the vampires. "No, we're just friends. Just like we always have been. But I'm fine," I said quickly as Bella turned her concerned eyes upon me. "Seriously. It's better this way. Much less awkward."

"Hmm…"

"Less blood loss, too," I added in a bit of a sing-song voice, trying to get a smile out of her.

It worked. She grinned at me, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, I guess it would be nice to be in a room with the two of you without one trying to punch the other out…Edward's going to be here any minute," she sighed as her eyes spotted a clock mounted on the wall behind her.

I sighed. "You know, if Sam finds out that Edward's been sneaking you across the border…"

"He won't find out," Bella said simply, tucking a brown strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm certainly not going to tell him…and you aren't, are you?"

"Of course not," I shrugged. "I don't _think_ it's against the treaty…and even Sam does find out, I bet he'll let it go. If I tell them to…he'll definitely let it go." I grinned evilly. "I'm his favorite, after all."

Bella rolled her eyes. "You are absolutely malicious," she chuckled.

I shrugged. "Being the smallest is usually a complete and total _pain_…but it does have its benefits, Bella. Besides- nobody can resist my good looks, witty comments, and overall stunning charm." I flashed her a brilliant smile as I got up from the chair to throw away my napkin…and promptly fell, face first, on the cold linoleum floor. "Karma," I muttered under my breath as I quickly jumped back up into a standing position.

"Well, Little Miss Perfect," she grinned at me. "You might want to work on your balance a little before you go become Miss America."

"Hey, the floor was slippery," I defended myself with a grin. "It isn't my fault."

"Reflexes of a werewolf," she chuckled. "Hah!"

"Come on," I laughed. "I'd better get you home before Charlie freaks out."

I walked Bella home, and then headed down to Sam's place. The house was full of werewolves who were currently fighting each other for the first shot at a free lunch. Grinning, I entered the room and found a seat on the couch in between Paul and Embry.

"Hey, guys," I greeted them, catching a muffin as Emily tossed it to me from the kitchen.

"Hey, Clip," Embry grinned at me, his mouth full of food.

"Ew!" I squealed, wiping the disgusting bits of food that had come flying out of his mouth onto his arm. "Embry! Get some manners!"

He just laughed at me, and continued eating. In return, I rolled my eyes, and bit into the delicious muffin, happy to be surrounded by my brothers…even if they did have issues when it came to being polite.

"We're going cliff diving later," Sam announced when he'd seen that I'd arrived. "You're welcome to join us, Clip."

"Sure," I grinned. The first cliff-dive of the summer…finally! I guess we'd all been so busy tracking down Victoria that we'd forgotten to take our biweekly trip down to the cliff overlooking the sea and jump the hundred some feet down into the black water below. A jump like that would kill a human- for us, it was simply exhilarating.

"We're all meeting up there in an hour," Sam continued. "I don't know if you've got other things you have to do today or what, but…"

"Oh, no, I'd love to go!" I said again, this time with a considerable amount more enthusiasm. "It's been way too long."

The other wolves echoed their agreement loudly, clattering their silverware against their plates and glasses. Emily stuck her head out of the kitchen door and glared at them, and the room fell blissfully silent. "Thank God for Emily," I muttered, rubbing at my ear, which was still ringing from the loud metallic sound of metal on metal Embry had felt compelled to create by pounding his silverware together. Emily simply winked at me, and returned to her cooking.

"I'll meet you down at the cliff in an hour," I announced to Sam, suddenly realizing that my house was probably a mess. "I've got to clean my house." I frowned, taking another bite out of my muffin…oh God, how I loved Emily's muffins…

The wolves just laughed at me. "Have fun with that," Embry grinned, clapping me on the back as I made my way out the door.

"Oh, don't worry," I chuckled. "I will." I shut the door behind me, and walked through the forest back to my house.

I looked around the living room, and my jaw fell open. It was completely trashed. Bella and I had cleaned up a little the night before, but…man. There were pieces of popcorn all over the floor and under the couch- from a totally epic popcorn fight we'd had sometime during the night- blankets were strewn everywhere, and the TV had been left on.

The kitchen was worse. A mountain of dishes had piled up in the sink, and the doughnuts had been left out on the table. Things only got worse the farther into the house you got.

Note to self: Next time a guy breaks your heart, deal with it your own way. Otherwise, you wind up with about three hours worth of cleaning to do.

Looking around the mess my room had become, I pulled my hair up into a ponytail, squared my shoulders, and went to work.

Forty-five minutes later, I was collapsed on my bed, my eyes closed. The room was sparkling around me- literally. I'd cleaned every nook and cranny of the entire house. I'd even ventured into Riff's bedroom, which was not something I'd be recovering from anytime soon, believe me.

But it was done. I could hardly wait for to see the look on my dad's face when he got home from work. My phone buzzed in my pocket. I answered, putting the phone up to my ear.

"Hello?"

"Freya! Just wanted to make sure you didn't forget about us!" Jake exclaimed from the other line.

Cliff diving- oh yeah! "How could I forget about you guys!" I laughed. "I'll be down there in ten minutes."

"You'd better be," he threatened. An empty threat, of course- Jake was actually pretty harmless.

"See ya later!" I called, hanging up the phone. I dug through my closet, looking for my swimsuit. I hadn't needed it since sometime last year- the weather in Forks wasn't often warm enough to go swimming, even in the summer- so I wasn't quite sure where it was.

"Aha!" I exclaimed, pulling the swimsuit out from underneath a pile of newly-folded jeans at the back of my closet. I changed into the suit, throwing on a pair of cut-off jean shorts and a K-State T-Shirt. (Gotta love them Wildcats!) I pulled my hair back into a ponytail, and started making my way toward the cliff.

I met Jake and the others about halfway there. They were whooping and yelling, making a lot of noise as usual. I laughed aloud, throwing my shoulders back and everything. These guys just never got boring.

"Race you," Jake challenged with a grin.

"Ok," I grinned. I reached out, and shoved him to the ground before I took off toward the cliff.

"Hey!" he called from behind me as he struggled to catch up. "You cheated!"

"I never said I fight far!" I retaliated, racing through the trees with an ease that came from weeks and weeks of midnight patrols through the woods of La Push. I kept making my way forward, forever a foot in front of Jacob. Everybody in the pack knew that I was the fastest.

When I at last reached the cliff, I stopped in my tracks, and turned around, waiting for Jake. Laughing, he kept running at me, not slowing down at all. "Jake, stop!" I warned him as he neared the cliff's edge. He didn't stop, though- he caught me around the wrist and jumped off the cliff head-first.

"JAAAAKE!" I screamed as he pulled me with him over the cliff. He was laughing like a madman- it was kind of scaring me. I barely got my wrist away from him in time to twist around in the air so that I wouldn't hit the water feet-first. The feeling of falling, though…God. It was the most freeing, most exhilarating feeling I've ever felt in my life. Knowing that you were completely at gravity's disposal, and that sinking feeling in my stomach as I dropped down, down toward the water that was rushing black below me…

By the time my head finally broke the surface of the water, I was laughing almost as crazily as Jake was. I let the rapids toss me around a little, then made my way back up to the surface, spluttering and coughing. "Jake!" I cried. "What the hell were you thinking? I could have drowned!"

"Don't be a baby, Clip," Seth grinned, paddling past me toward the shore. I just rolled my eyes at him, and followed him toward the beach.

"Race you to the top!" I challenged the pack.

There was nothing more fun than a relaxing day of cliff-jumping with the pack. We were all superhumanly fast and strong and everything, so it was no big deal running from the beach back up to the cliff and swimming back to shore and then repeating the whole experience. It was a blast.

When the sun finally started to fall in the sky, we decided that it was probably time to turn in.

"I'll see you all at your patrols tonight!" Sam exclaimed, smiling broadly at us.

"Adios, mis amigos!" Embry called.

"Didn't you fail Spanish?" I asked him with a frown.

"Stop drinking that hater-aide, Clip," Quil teased me, punching me playfully in the shoulder.

"Hmm…I like that," I grinned. "'Hater-aide'…maybe there is hope for our generation, after all."

"Nope," Paul decided. "No hope, at all. We're all doomed."

"2012, man!" Quil nodded. "How do you think the world's going to end?"

I thought about it for a moment. "Well…there was the Year of the Bird- you know, Chinese zodiac or whatever it's called…and we had avian flu. Year of the pig, we had swine flu…and 2012 is year of the dragon, so…"

"Oh, no," Embry gasped. "Dragon flu? That could be potentially disastrous."

"Not to us," Seth pointed out. "We're invincible to Dragon Flu."

"Oh, did you get your Dragon Flu shot, too?" I asked him sarcastically. "Guys, I was joking. There is no such thing as Dragon Flu. There's no such thing as dragons."

"A year and a half ago, you thought that werewolves were just legends, too," Embry argued.

"My dad's a werewolf, you idiot!" I sighed, exasperatedly smacking him on the back of his head. "You know what? Paul's right. There is no hope for our generation."

"I don't think it's fair that Embry's idiocy should account for the fate of our entire generation," Leah decided, twisting her ponytail in her hands to try and wring some of the water out.

"Yeah, that's just not fair, Clip," Quil frowned.

"Like you're one to talk," I muttered.

"Alright, _children_," Sam chuckled. "Get home and get some rest. We want to be on our top game for patrol the next few weeks. The killings in Seattle have been getting sloppier and sloppier. I'm afraid our relaxation time is just about up."

"What do you mean?" I Leah asked, looking worried.

"The newborn army Sam thinks is being raised in Seattle," I replied with a worried crease to my own eyebrows, as well. "He's saying that the newborns are getting stronger. He's saying that they're preparing to attack."

"You'd think Alice would be able to see something like that," Jacob mused. "It's not as if it were something you could miss- an army of vampires marching into Forks?"

"It's because of us," I sighed, twirling my wet hair around my index finger nervously. "She can't see past us."

"That doesn't mean we have to feel guilty," Jake reminded me, resting his hand on my shoulder. "We're going to be helping the bloodsuckers- we shouldn't have to feel bad about blocking their view a little."

"I'm not saying I feel guilty," I defended myself.

"Clip…I know you," he grinned teasingly at me. "The hair twirling?" he grabbed the fistful of hair I'd been twisting around. "Yeah. You're feeling guilty."

I blushed, pulling my hair out of his grasp. Yeah- he did know me…a little too well, for my taste.

"We don't need to freak out about this yet, do we?" Seth asked.

"No, Seth," Sam sighed. "Not yet."

We were silent for a while, each of us worrying about the inevitable vampire attack. It was funny, in a way, how in-sync we all were. I mean, we were walked in formation, with Jared on Sam's right and Paul on his left, and the rest of us filing out behind him. I- of course, was in the back. 'Cause, you know, on account of my being a werewolf midget, and all.

"Race you back?" I whispered in Seth's ear. He grinned at me, nodding. "One," I counted off, "Two, three!"

We took off at a dead sprint in the direction of Sam's house, leaving the other wolves in our dust. When we arrived at the house, Seth nearly tackled Emily, who was standing at the front door, waiting for us.

"Hey!" Sam scolded Seth. "Don't tackle my fiancée!"

"Unintentional," Seth mumbled, his face red as he apologized to Emily and went ahead and found a spot at the kitchen table. There was a delicious meal of steak, green beans, and mashed potatoes waiting on the table for us.

The boys in the pack were remarkably polite when eating at Sam and Emily's place. I think it was out of respect for Emily- she does so much for us, it just wouldn't do to let food fly out of our mouths while we shoveled food into our mouths as if we hadn't eaten in weeks. I'd seen these boys eat lunch every day at school- table manners were not something they normally exercised.

It was a pleasant meal. We talked, and laughed. We teased each other, and cracked jokes. It was like one big, happy family…

I wished my own family were like that. We hadn't eaten around the table, all of us together, in years. I missed the feeling of camaraderie that I used to feel when I was with Riff, my father, and my mother as we sat around the small wooden table every night.

"Why so blue?" Jake asked me, elbowing me lightly and smiling.

I just shook my head, smiling at him. "Nothing. Pass me a roll, will you?"

When dinner was over, the pack dispersed. Why stay when the food was gone? I rolled my eyes at my brothers, and helped Emily clean up the kitchen.

"Thank you, so much," she breathed as she handed me the last plate to be dried. "This is why you're my favorite. Don't tell the others."

I laughed. "I thought you didn't play favorites, Emily," I teased her.

"Hmm…well. That's why I told you not to tell the others," she grinned at me. "I'd hate for my reputation to be ruined."

"Thanks for the dinner, Emily." I wiped my hands on towel went back into the living room in search of my shoes. I found the tan sandals lying haphazardly by the door. I slipped them on, and prepared to leave.

"My pleasure, Freya. Come again any time- and feel free to bring your brother. I've been itching to see Tony again."

"Will do," I promised, hugging her quickly. "I'll see you tonight. I've got the midnight shift again."

"Quil?" she guessed.

I sighed. "I don't get why Sam doesn't just assign me the midnight shift…Quil's using up all my minutes, calling me every night. I can't wait until Claire's all grown up and he won't have to babysit her all the time. Bye, Emily!" I called to her as I left.

"Goodbye, Freya!" she waved to me. I waved back, and when I saw her close the front door, I turned around and took off for home at a steady jog.

The house was clean, it hadn't rained during our cliff-diving expedition, I hadn't been attacked by anybody, hadn't ruined any of my favorite clothes, and I'd gotten a free meal. Overall, I thought, it had been a pretty good day. Smiling to myself, I opened the front door to my house and collapsed on the couch for a much-needed nap.

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**Well, I finally allowed Clip a little much-needed fun time. I realized she hasn't had much fun in a while. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!! :) And thanks for sticking with this story for so long- I can hardly believe I'm already at chapter 13!! :D**

**Penny for your thoughts?;)**


	14. This is Why I Don't Go to Parties

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. If I did...well. I'd be filthy rich, and would not be writing for fanfiction. :) **

**I know, I know...it's been FOREVER since I updated. Please don't kill me!!! *hides!!* I've been making excuses the last couple of chapters *hehe:)* so I'm just going to skip that part and head straight to the apology. PLEASE forgive me for taking so long!! I assure you, I have no intentions of abandoning Freya- that would just be cruelty. Character cruelty, which should be outlawed. I would never commit such a terrible crime. :) **

**Special thanks to Shadaria and Shadaria's Twin- thank you so much! Don't worry about being a bother, either of you. Sometimes a girl needs to be reminded that there are people reading her stories. Impatient people who deserve better than to have to wait a week before the next chapter of their story is posted. Please forgive me, you guys- and thanks for caring enough to remind me to keep writing:)**

**Please forgive any spelling errors in this chapter- I sent it to my beta *Rebecca Masen you're amazing:)* a couple of days ago, but she hasn't sent it back yet...so I decided to just go ahead and post it for you guys:)**

**Now that it's finally here...ENJOY!! :)**

* * *

Exactly twenty-four hours had passed since the first cliff-dive of the year, but already the cliffs were swarming with kids from the reservation, reveling in their freedom from school by hurling themselves off the lower cliffs. I jogged by, chuckling to myself…that is, if a dog can chuckle. It ended up sounding more like a bark than anything else, truth be told.

_What's so funny?_

_Jake!_ I exclaimed with surprise. _What are you doing? Your patrol doesn't start until seven. _

_I know…I'm not on patrol. I'm just…well, I'm a little bored, actually. Thought I'd come talk to my favorite werewolf midget. _

_Hah. Funny, _I said without much humor. _I may be small, but I can still kick your sorry butt in a fight, Jake. _

_I doubt that. _

_Oh? _I teased, wagging my tail a little out of instinct. _Are you sure about that? _

_Do you want to find out? _

I sighed, sensing the direction his thoughts were headed. Something was wrong. _Jake…please tell me that you didn't come interrupt my patrol because you wanted to pick a fight with me._ _Paul hates you much more than I do-he'd make for a better fight. And _he _isn't on patrol right now._

_Aw, Clip, _he pouted pathetically. _You don't hate me, do you? _

_No, of course I don't hate you, Jake. Hey- we'll hang out after patrol, alright? It's hard to keep an eye out for Victoria when you're rambling on in my head. _

_Right…sorry. I'll catch ya later, Clip. _

Was it just me, or did he sound a bit…dejected? I sighed. _What's wrong? _I asked him, not quite sure I wanted to know. It was probably a Bella-thing. Probably had something to do with the fact that she hadn't come down to the reservation since I'd walked her home the day before.

_Wrong? Nothing…nothing's wrong, Clip, _he replied, a bit too quickly.

_Liar, lair, pants on fire…_ I sang to myself, wishing I could be there to see the look on Jacob's face.

_What are you, Clip? Five?_ Jake muttered darkly.

He obviously wasn't going to tell me what was going on. _Hmm…we'll continue this later. After I'm done making my rounds. I'll meet you at my house. If you aren't there by the time I get home, I _will_ drag you with me by the tail, and you _are_ going to tell me what's wrong with you, _I warned him with a growl. God, was I a good friend or what?

_No need to get all hostile with me, Clip,_ he chuckled.

_I'm only hostile when I need to be. Bye, Jake!_ I called to him before he transformed. He said goodbye in return, and then he was gone. And I was finally able to continue my patrol in peace.

And it was peaceful- only a couple of little kids spotted me when I was running by the park, and out of those two, only one of them jumped up and shouted, "Doggy! Doggy!" at the top of their lungs. Neither of them got close enough to pet me, which definitely brightened up my day.

When my time was up, I grabbed my clothes from Emily's place. Before heading home, I stepped inside to say hello.

"Hey, Emily!" I called, closing the front door gently behind me. "How's it going?"

"Things are going just fine, Freya. Thank you. Come on in- I've got a little snack for you if you're hungry," she called from the kitchen. I followed the smell of cooking food. It must have been Mexican night- the blend of spices, cheese, onion, peppers, and chicken in the air reminded me instantly of quesadillas.

"Mmm…thanks, Emily," I grinned, taking a deep breath so that I could inhale the wonderfulness that was Emily's cooking. She handed me a quesadilla wrapped up in a napkin, and wiped her hands on her apron.

"No problem, Freya. How was your patrol?"

"Pretty uneventful," I shrugged. "Nothing major happened. Nothing at all happened, really…" I took a bite of my quesadilla and moaned in delight. "You've really outdone yourself with these, Emily," I commented.

"You're too kind," she chuckled. "Take some for the road- I know that brother of yours likes to eat."

"Thanks," I grinned. She began gathering up an armload of quesadillas that had probably taken an hour or so to make up into a container for me. Once upon a time, it would have bothered me, taking this much food from Sam and Emily's place…now I knew better. Cooking was Emily's escape from everything. I mean…being an imprint can't be easy. Always worrying about whether your werewolf was coming home alive or not…cooking relaxed her. She was _always_ cooking something.

"Here you go, Freya." She handed me the container, and I took it gratefully.

"Hey…do you know what's up with Jake?" I asked her hesitantly. Sam and Emily's place was like our wolf headquarters. Jake might have mentioned something about his depressed mood earlier.

"No…he has seemed a little down the past couple days, huh?" she sighed. "I do hate to see that boy upset."

"Yeah, me, too…hey, I'd better get going." I smiled apologetically at her.

"Of course, dear. Tell your father and brother that I say hello, will you?" She wrapped her arms around me in a motherly hug. I loved Emily's hugs- she always smelled so nice…like freshly baked cookies and flower.

"I will!" I promised as I made my way out the door, the food tucked protectively under my arm. There was no way I was going to let Emily's cooking get away from me.

I made my way slowly back to the house, still munching on the delightful little Mexican dish. I contemplated Jake's little visit earlier. Something must have been seriously wrong with that kid. He took patrols even more seriously than Jared or Paul- interrupting my patrol was simply out of character for him. I quickened my pace a little. Jake was prone to stupidity when he was upset.

I let out a breath of relief when I finally arrived back at home.

I knew Jake was there- his car was parked out front. But when I walked inside, I couldn't find him anywhere. "Jake!" I called, taking off my jacket and hanging it up in the doorway. "Jacob, you here?!"

"Upstairs!"

I followed the call up the steps to my bedroom, where I found Jake lounging on the bed, his arms folded behind his head, staring at the ceiling. He looked absolutely miserable.

"Jake…what's wrong?" I asked him. Seeing him upset like this…it broke my heart.

"What's wrong with you?" he chuckled. "You look like you just saw your puppy get hit by a truck."

I came over and smacked him on the back of the head. "Well, can you blame me? I come home to find you in my room, pouting. How old are you? Five?" I teased him, repeating his comment about me from earlier. He sat up, moving over on the bed so that I had room to sit next to him.

"Sorry," he apologized. "I've just…yeah. Well. I've had a bad day."

I opened up the container, and handed him a couple of Emily's quesadillas. "Here," I offered. "I think they're still hot."

"Thanks," he smiled.

"What happened?" I demanded of him, frowning. "You didn't go do something incredibly stupid, did you?"

He chuckled. "Depends on what you mean by stupid. Is distracting a werewolf while she's trying to patrol the reservation considered stupid?"

"Jake…what happened?" I repeated. It unnerved me to see Jake upset. He was just a happy kid- he always had been. I mean, until this werewolf business…and until Bella. Seeing him like this worried me. I just wanted to know what was wrong, and what I could do to fix it.

"I got an invitation to Bella's graduation party," he explained. "That night you broke my nose."

"Before or after you tried to suck her face off?" I inquired in what I considered to be a very polite way, considering the fact that I was doing my best to ignore the way my insides were burning with jealousy as I remembered how Jake had kissed Bella that night…

"Before," he shrugged.

I didn't understand. What was so upsetting about Bella's graduation party? "I'm sure you'll still get to see her, Jake, after she goes to college. She'll have to come home every once in a while," I attempted to reassure my friend.

"That's not it," he sighed. "She un-invited me."

"Because you kissed her?" I guessed.

He nodded. "She's still ticked at me. She won't talk to me, or anything. I thought everything between us was cool, after I apologized to you…but she's still really mad. She doesn't want me to come."

"Oh…"

"Yeah," he sighed. "I tell her I love her, she punches me in the face. Then, she blames me for a bunch of other crap I didn't do. What the hell was she thinking, I was leading you on?! You're my best friend- I could never do something like that to you, Clip."

"I know you wouldn't." Not on purpose, anyway. "You're a good little boy." _A good little boy who has officially mastered the art of being stupid_, I thought to myself bitterly as I attempted to make the smile on my face look genuine.

"Are you going?" he asked me abruptly.

"To…what?"

"The party," he groaned in exasperation. "Are you going or not?"

"Umm…yeah?"

"Great!" he exclaimed with a grin. "You could take me as your date!"

"What?!" I practically screamed. First, he says he would never try and "lead me on"…then he goes and asks me to take him to Bella's party as his date! I know I love Jake, and all, but seriously?!

"It would just be as friends," he assured me. "I mean…it isn't as if you already had a date, or something."

"Oh, so you don't think I can get a date?!" I exclaimed, incredulous.

"Do you have one yet?" he challenged me, his eyebrows raised skeptically.

"No…"

"See? I know you, Clip. If you had a date to anywhere, you'd be all…hyper-excited, jumping up and down and freaking out about what you were going to wear that night. Only you would have locked yourself up inside your room so that nobody would know how excited you were."

Shit. He did know me- way too well.

"I am perfectly capable of getting a date, Jacob," I hissed at him, crossing my arms over my chest. I attempted my best death-glare. When I was in a really bad mood, my death glares were absolutely terror-inspiring. If looks could kill…well. Jake would have been _so_ very dead.

Unfortunately for me, however, looks cannot kill- mine can't, anyway- and Jake was just sitting there on my bed, grinning at me and looking amused. Which, of course, only made me angrier- nobody laughs when faced with my death glares!

"I know that," he smiled. "I never said you weren't. Please? I need to talk to her."

I scowled at him. "Is that the reason you were all doom-and-gloom earlier?" I asked. "Because Bella didn't want you at her party?" When he didn't answer, I took his silence as a yes and sighed, running my hands through my hair. Some of my anger sort of…melted away when I saw how sad he was. I was still ticked off, and everything…but I hated seeing Jake upset.

"Fine," I groaned at last. "You can…tag along, I guess. But you _aren't _my date." I crossed my arms over my chest, daring him to argue with me.

He held his hands up defensively, grinning widely in a way that was making it kind of difficult for me to breathe. God, I was pathetic. "Hey, I'll take what I can get," he smiled.

"I'm going over there at nine," I sighed. "You'd better not try and get into that house without me….I'd hate for Bella to break her hand again.

"Deal," he smiled. "I'll catch you later, Clip!" he called to me as he jumped out my window.

I stood there, open-mouthed, as I watched him dash off through the woods. "Whatever happened to just stopping by to say hello?" I muttered darkly under my breath as I crossed the room to lock the window- just in case he wanted another favor out of me.

The next night, at nine o'clock sharp, I shut the front door of my house and began the trek through the woods onto the Cullens' property. I was exhausted from the double shift of patrol I'd had to run the night before in order to get away with skipping my rounds for the evening of the party, but I thought it was worth it. Bella hated parties- she was going to need some moral support this evening.

I _heard_ the party before I actually saw it. The music was blaring- I thought that maybe it was some Miley Cyrus song…but I knew Alice had better taste in music than that, so I must have been mistaken- and I could pick out a couple of voices from the crowd. When the house came into view, I couldn't help but chuckle. Alice had really outdone herself with this one. There were lights everywhere. It was like a freaking runway or something, with lights going up the driveway and the walkway up to the house.

I rang the doorbell, pleased to note that Jacob had yet to arrive at the raving Cullen graduation party that was currently going on inside the house. I waited for a few minutes before I guessed that nobody had heard the doorbell ring. I rang again.

"What, did you do something to tick off Bella, too?"

I spun around on my heel, a look of shock on my face. "Jake? I thought you weren't coming!" I gasped, trying not to let my face fall too fast when I saw him standing behind me.

He rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't miss Bella's graduation party," he chuckled. "She wants me here."

"She just doesn't know it yet," I finished for him. "Sure. Let's just get this over with, lover boy." I sighed, and rang the doorbell one more time.

When we'd been ignored for a full fifteen minutes, Jake just grumbled and opened the door. Which was unlocked.

Who would have guessed?

"Really, Clip?" he chuckled.

"Shut up."

"Hey, Bella!" Jake called as he stepped inside. I followed him tentatively- I'd never been one for big crowds. And this was definitely a big crowd. People were crammed into every nook and cranny of the place. I didn't know hardly any of them, although I was careful to steer clear of Owen- he was probably here somewhere, and I didn't really want to speak to him again after our disastrous date.

Bella looked utterly and completely surprised by Jake's appearance. She did not, of course, see me, standing in his shadow. Jake didn't seem to notice how tense Bella looked- she was upset about something, and I didn't think it was Jake. I made a mental note to ask her about it as Jake grasped her shoulder and started leading her through the mass of graduated seniors and into the house's kitchen.

"What are you doing here?" she scowled, pulling away from him as I shut the kitchen door behind me.

"You invited me, remember?" he reminded her.

"In case my right hook was too subtle for you, let me translate: that was me _un_inviting you."

"I tried to tell him, Bells," I shrugged, walking across the kitchen to stand behind Bella. She was about an inch taller than I was.

Jake noticed this, as well, and laughed.

"What is it?" Bella asked, looking to me for an explanation.

"Jacob's being an idiot," I grumbled. "It's not my fault I'm short, Jake."

She looked at me, then started to smile.

"Not you, too," I moaned.

"You know you're short when Vampire Girl is taller than you," Jacob teased me.

"You know you're a bad kisser when the girl punches you in the face afterword," I countered with as much venom as I could muster. Was it mean? Yeah. Did it make the situation more awkward than necessary for my two friends? Definitely.

Did I care? Most certainly not.

Jake was shocked into speechlessness by the frankness of my comment. I smiled, a little more smug than necessary. "So, Bella," I began, trying to re-start the conversation I'd just butchered. "How's the party going?"

"Oh…it's going good," she smiled. Was it just me, or was she looking a little distracted? "I mean…people seem to be having a good time, so…"

"I got you a graduation present," Jake said when he'd regained his composure. He handed Bella her present. Not wanting to see what he'd gotten her for her graduation, I busied myself by finding a glass in the cupboard and filling it with tap water.

I took one sip, and instantly regretted it. I spat the gulp of water I'd taken back out into the sink, wiping my mouth on my sleeve. "Oh, my God, that is disgusting!" I exclaimed.

"The water?" Bella frowned. "It tasted fine to me earlier."

I shook my head. "This whole place has been infected with vampire…even the water. It tastes like vampire. Imagine what it would be like to kiss one…" I shuddered, imagining the feel of cold, rocky lips upon my own, and that sickly sweet taste…Ugh. Poor Bells.

She rolled her eyes at me, and continued her conversation with Jake. She still seemed really distracted, and her eyes kept darting over to the door, as if she were waiting for someone to come barging in.

"Bella…what's up?" I asked her at last.

"Oh…nothing," she shrugged. "I'm just not big on parties, is all."

"Bella," Jake groaned. "Don't lie. You're a terrible liar, and you know it. We want to know this kind of thing."

He was talking about the wolves, of course. All Sam had been talking about for weeks was Victoria and her army of blood-sucking minions lurking about Seattle. I wonder if the vampires had figured out who, exactly, Victoria was after? Hmm.

"I will tell you," she assured us. "I just need to figure out exactly what's happening first. I need to talk to Alice."

"She saw something," I guessed.

"Yes…just when you two showed up," she nodded.

"Is this about the bloodsucker in your room?" Jake asked, his voice low. Not long ago, a vampire had gotten into Bella's place and stolen some of her clothes. Poor girl had nothing to wear for a week before Alice finally went out and bought her some new things.

"You know something you're not telling me…something big," Jake guessed, his head tilted to one side and a thoughtful expression written across his face.

"Yes," she admitted reluctantly. Smart girl. She knew that her lies would never get past us.

"Explain," Jake ordered.

"I don't know everything," she mumbled, looking around the room for some kind of escape. She was clearly unwilling to discuss whatever it was that Alice had seen. Jake and I looked at each other, and nodded. We then proceeded to begin backing Bella into a corner, blocking off her chance of escape.

"What do you know?" I smiled apologetically at her as Jake continued the interrogation.

"Alice!" she cried in relief. I backed off when I saw the small, pixie-like vampire start to make her way over to the kitchen. She looked stressed out as she took her place next to Bella.

"I need to talk to you," she said softly as she wrapped her arm around Bella's waist.

"I…guess I'll see you guys later," she said as she began moving her way around us. Jake blocked her off.

"Umm, excuse me, but _back off_, you mutt," Alice glared. Yeah- I could tell that sweet little Alice wasn't exactly having a good day.

"Don't talk to him like that," I snapped, unable to control myself from defending my fellow werewolf.

"And you guys really need to come up with some new names for us," Jake mused, tilting his head to one side. "Mutt has been really overused lately."

"Tell us what's going on," I demanded.

Of course, then Alice's big, scary boyfriend appears next to her. The expression on his face looked scary. It was trained on Jake- the threat to his dear little Alice. "We don't appreciate the sarcasm," he murmured, a deadly edge to his soft voice.

"Yeah, and we don't appreciate the secrecy," I snapped back, stepping in between the two of them. "Or the threats, for that matter." I met his glare straight-on. Jasper may look scary, but I knew who would win in a fight.

Me, of course.

"This is a party, guys," Bella chuckled lightly in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Jasper and I ignored her, continuing our staring contest. I normally liked Jasper- he was a little quiet, sure, but he was really a sweet guy. He could be funny, when he wanted to be. But right now…he was really making me angry. I didn't care how good a guy he was- _nobody_ threatened another member of my pack.

At last he backed down with a sigh. I guess he could tell how upset he'd made me. I felt a wave of calm sweep over me. "Not helping, Jasper," I sighed. "Although I appreciate the effort on your part."

He nodded, and took a step back. "Tell her what you saw, Alice," Jasper said, turning to his mate and giving her an encouraging half a smile.

"They're coming here. To Forks…one of them carried your shirt, Bella," she admitted, her face somehow even paler than normal.

Jasper frowned- hadn't he heard this news before? "We can't let them come that far. There aren't enough of us to protect the city," Jasper mused.

"I know," Alice nodded. "But it doesn't matter where we stop them. There still won't be enough of us, and some of them will come here to search."

"The werewolves will help," I said automatically. Alice looked up at me, surprise written clearly across her face.

"Clip," Jake hissed, pulling me off to the side of the room. "What are you doing?"

"They need our help, Jacob," I hissed. "The whole freaking town needs our help. What else am I supposed to do?"

"It isn't your decision to make," he growled in return. "You are not the Alpha male- you're the runt of the litter."

His words…they stung. Jake knew how I felt about being the smallest of the wolves. He knew how hard I worked every single day to try and make up for my lack of size. Jacob was aware of how it made me feel when people made cracks about me being so small. My demeanor turned cold as I took a step sideways back toward the vampires.

Jake's eyes widened in horror as he realized what he'd said. But it was too late- the damage had been done. I turned my back on him, and returned to the vampires. I didn't care what Jake or Sam or anybody said.

I was going to be helping the Cullen's, whether the rest of the pack liked it or not.

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There you have it! I hope you enjoyed chapter 14!! I've got some big plans for the next few chapters...hehehe:) If it all works out like I'm hoping it will, the end of this story will be totally epic:) LOL:D

I promise, I'm going to try and get chapter 15 up in less than a week! If I don't...everyone who reviews will get DOUBLE hypothetical pennies for their reviews:D:D;)

Penny for your thoughs?;)


	15. Sam Makes a Colossal Mistake

**Disclaimer: So...if you guys haven't figured it out by now...I don't own Twilight. Just Freya- but she's pretty darn awesome, so I think I can live with that;)**

**Ok!! Since I took FOREVER updating Chapter 14, I decided to reward those of you who stuck to this story with chapter 15!! I know it's kind of short, but it felt like a good stopping point, if you know what I mean. If you don't...well. Enjoy the chapter anyway, and try not to get too annoyed with its briefness;)**

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**Chapter Fifteen**

"_It isn't your decision to make," he growled in return. "You are not the Alpha male- you're the runt of the litter." _

_His words…they stung. Jake knew how I felt about being the smallest of the wolves. He knew how hard I worked every single day to try and make up for my lack of size. Jacob was aware of how it made me feel when people made cracks about me being so small. My demeanor turned cold as I took a step sideways back toward the vampires. _

_Jake's eyes widened in horror as he realized what he'd said. But it was too late- the damage had been done. I turned my back on him, and returned to the vampires. I didn't care what Jake or Sam or anybody said. _

_I was going to be helping the Cullen's, whether the rest of the pack liked it or not. _

"You don't need to get into a big argument over us," Jasper muttered, brushing off my previous declaration with a wave of his hand. "We've got advantages over the newborns- it'll be an even fight without you."

"Are you so sure about that?" I asked, my eyebrows raised high in skepticism. "Because I'm not. If what I've heard about newborn vampires is true…you might be able to take, oh, let's say fifteen of them. But not any more than that."

"Yes!" Alice exclaimed, pumping her tiny fist up into the air.

"What'd you see?" Bella asked.

"Absolutely nothing," she grinned at me. "Oh…come here, you mutt!" she exclaimed, wrapping her cold arms around my neck. I was surprised at the vigor with which she hugged me. She was a vampire- she _hated_ me. Or at least…she used to. Guess things change when you offer to risk your life in order to save someone. Huh.

"Whoa there, my blood sucking comrade," I chuckled, doing my best to resist the gag reflex that seemed to have been activated when the vampire girl began to suffocate me. "Personal space is appreciated."

"Sorry," she apologized, still smiling but dropping her arms quickly to her sides.

"We're going to have to…cooperate," I mused, tilting my head to the side thoughtfully. "This isn't going to be easy…but it is our job more than yours. I'm going to have to convince Sam. But that shouldn't be too hard, right, Jake?"

I turned around, but Jake was gone.

"Jake?" I called again, stepping out of the kitchen to see where, exactly, my werewolf friend had gotten to.

I made it to the doorway just in time to see him charge down the front steps and into the forest. I stormed back into the kitchen, muttering curses as I went. "He's gone," I spat, scowling at the floor. The vampires in front of me had their faces arranged in masks of emotions that varied form pity, to annoyance, to sympathy…and to thankfulness. Guess I'd really made their day, or something, because Alice hugged me again.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "Things'll be ok, I promise."

I shoved her gently away from me- I liked Alice well enough, but the stench was enough to make me want to run for the hills, too- and sat dejectedly on the wide marble countertop. "Like I was saying," I continued, trying to keep the hurt out of my voice, "we'll need to coordinate something."

"Freya…I don't want you getting involved with this," Bella murmured, resting her hand on my shoulder and looking me directly in the eyes. "It's dangerous."

"Thanks for the concern, Bells," I chuckled, "but we werewolves are tough. We can take care of ourselves pretty well."

"This isn't time for cracking jokes," she scowled. "It's time to be _serious._ Vampires are dangerous!"

"I know that!" I exclaimed. "Do you remember that time in the woods? When Victoria attacked us?" Bella shuddered visibly, and Alice rested her hand upon Bella's in a reassuring manner. "I was able to protect both of us perfectly well then, was I not?"

"You almost got yourself killed, Freya," Bella answered me quietly. "I won't let that happen again, I promise you."

I groaned, running my hand through my hair. "Bella…you are so _difficult _sometimes. Look at it this way. Either your vampire friends can fight by themselves and be killed," I cast a sideways glance at Jasper, who was glaring at me. "No offense," I added in an offhand manner. "Or…they can have _us_ on their side. In case you've forgotten, werewolves are _made_ to kill vampires. It's kind of our thing," I concluded, crossing my arms over my chest and daring anyone to challenge me.

Bella looked like she'd been caught between a rock and a hard place. I felt bad for her…I knew this couldn't have been easy on the poor girl. I was forcing her to choose…risk my life, or risk her boyfriend's life. Of course, I knew what she was going to say.

Absolutely nothing.

Her silence I took to be acceptance of my plan. I smiled triumphantly to myself as I began making arrangements with the vampires. Apparently, Jasper was like some master newborn-vampire-killer or something. He offered to let us wolves into a…"strategic meeting", as he called it, where he would be giving us all pointers on how to effectively kill a newborn vampire.

The thought made my skin crawl with anticipation, and…dare I say it? Excitement. I was a werewolf, and there is nothing more exciting to a werewolf than chasing down a vampire. We agreed on the place, but had issues setting the time. Anytime was good for the vampires- of course, it's not like they had anything else they had to do during the day. Werewolves…we actually had _jobs_ to do.

"What time?" I asked, brushing a stray strand of hair out of my face.

"What time is too late for you?" Jasper challenged with a raised eyebrow.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. I knew that vampires didn't sleep, and that freaked me out sometimes, but did he really thought that rubbing his vampirism in my face would make me upset? "Just name a time, smart mouth," I muttered.

"Will three o'clock work for you?"

"I suppose so," I shrugged. "Now…if we're done here…" I looked to the vampires standing before me with a question in my eyes. They nodded. "Good. I've got to split- I've got a pack of werewolves to lecture."

I made my way through the party, which was still in full swing, and out the door. When I arrived at Sam and Emily's place, I was surprised to find the entire pack lounging around on the sofa, eating chips and salsa and a variety of other small snacks Emily must have gotten together last-minute.

"Freya! We've been waiting for you," Sam smiled at me, gesturing to sit on the couch next to him.

"At…" I looked up at the clock on the wall, "One thirty in the morning?"

Sam shrugged. "I don't decide what time we encounter a crisis, Freya."

"Jake got to you first, didn't he?" I guessed, casting a wary glance around the room.

The room was absolutely silent, as we all looked over toward Jake. He was blushing scarlet, looking like a little kid who had been called out during class for being a tattle-tale.

At last, Jared took the initiative to be the first to break the admittedly quite impressive awkward silence that had settled on us, heavy as a ton of bricks. "Clip…what you're planning…it's ridiculous," he attempted to reason with me. "It's only what? Twenty-five newborn vampires? The Cullen's can handle them on their own."

"As were wolves, it's our responsibility to protect our people," I reminded him calmly- as calmly as I could manage, anyway- as I tried to appear as if my protecting the Cullen's was something I couldn't care less about. Sam usually ignored people who shouted at him.

"It is our _responsibility_ to protect the people on _our_ land," Sam corrected me, with the same indifferent composure. "If the vampires don't step foot on our land, we are not obligated to take any action. Why waste our lives fighting the Cullen's battles?"

"Because!" I exclaimed, exasperated. "Because it's the right thing to do. Because good people- yeah, that's right," I barked, seeing the skeptical look on Paul's face, "I said _people._ The Cullen's are people, and good people at that. They don't deserve to be killed by their own kind. Not when we can help them."

"It's not our place, Freya!" Sam practically shouted at me.

"Well then, we should make it our place!" I countered.

"You would risk your brothers' and sister's lives," Sam hissed, "for what? For Bella?"

"And you would risk the Cullen's lives for what?" I growled. "Yourself? Are you afraid, Sam?"

"Don't push me, Freya." The look coming from Sam at that moment was murderous. If looks could kill…

I turned to the rest of the werewolves, all of whom were watching with rapt attention. "I know I'm not afraid!" I laughed. "I'm not afraid of vampires! We're werewolves for Heaven's sake!"

"We aren't invincible, Clip," Jake reminded me softly. "We can die easier than they can."

"The Cullen's have invited us to a meeting," I informed the room, shaking Jacob's hand off of my shoulder. Truth be told, I was still a little sore from his rude remarks earlier, at the party. "At three o'clock, time miles north of the Hoh Forest ranger station. They've offered us vampire-killing lessons." I couldn't help but chuckle to myself at the irony of the situation.

"Since you're so friendly with the Cullen's," Paul sneered at me, "you can be the one to tell them that we aren't coming."

"What happens when we're in trouble, Paul?" I asked him, my voice soft. "What happens when our lives are the ones that need saving? Huh? Do you think the Cullen's are just going to standby and watch us die, because it isn't their _responsibility_ to give us a hand?"

Everyone was silent as they contemplated this. I guess they hadn't thought that we werewolves would ever be in this kind of situation. Frankly…it was unlikely. Werewolves generally stuck to their territory, and the vampires we killed were generally wandering nomads without any real alliances that would bother seeking revenge. However, I still made them think. Which was good…I had them right where I wanted them.

I turned to Jake next, allowing my anger with my friend to empower my little motivation speech that I was attempting to give. "Come on, Jacob," I smirked at him. "If the _runt of the litter_ is willing to take sides with the vampires…" I glared at him, but he didn't budge. Neither did the rest of the pack, for that matter- they just looked at me with pitying eyes, as if the smallest member of the pack had finally driven herself insane.

"You know what?" I sighed. "Fine. I guess you don't care about the Cullen's. But…if you care about me…" I began backing toward the door, daring them to try and stop me. "You will come, and you will fight. Because I will be fighting, no matter what any of you say."

Jacob stood up, and walked over to me. He rested his hands on my shoulders and held me firmly in place…just the smell of him made me want to swoon. I tried to focus on something other than how amazing he was when he wasn't being a complete and utter jerk…

"Don't do this, Clip," he begged me. "Don't choose them over us. You're my best friend. Please, don't do this to me."

"You can't be on both sides, Freya," Sam warned me. "You either side with the vampires…or you side with your family. What is it going to be?" He crossed his arms over his chest, and stood in front of the door.

I glared up at the Alpha. How dare he?! "Why does it have to be one or the other, Sam?" I asked him. I hope he could see how much this ultimatum was hurting me. Maybe, if he could, he would see how stupid he and the other wolves were being. "Why is it always werewolf versus vampire? Can't we all just get along? For one day?"

"Go ahead," he growled at me, his voice dripping with authority. "Make your choice. I won't stop you- none of us will."

I pushed past Sam, and opened the front door.

"So," Sam sighed, his arms falling to his sides. "This is how it's going to be, then?"

"I love you all," I said softly, scanning the room and meeting each of my brothers' eyes. I let my gaze linger a little longer on Jacob, and sighed. "So much. And Sam, I respect you more than I've ever respected anyone else in my entire life. You…you're like my second father." I aimed a shaky smile in his direction. "But you're wrong this time. Maybe, if you're lucky, I'll still be alive when all this is over so that you can apologize."

I shut the door behind me, almost daring to hope that one of them would run out the door, telling me that they loved me too. That they'll fight- that I don't have to choose. But I suppose that even then, nobody took me seriously. When I finally got it through that thick skull of mine that nobody cared enough to come after me I ran toward my one refuge- my safe haven.

The forest.

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**Like I mentioned earlier- short chapter. I hope you liked it...and I hope Freya's little speech there at the end wasn't too cheesy. I don't know why, but I always use so much cheese...**

**Anyway:D Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'll try to update as soon as possible. It shouldn't take me quite as long this time- I know where I want the story to go now:) I feel proud of myself:Dhaha:)**

**Penny for your thoughts?;)**


	16. Apologies Followed By More Arguments

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight:( Darn:( **

**Chapter 16! Whoa! I'm on a roll here!! ;D:D **

**Thanks to my beta, Rebecca Masen. She is totally amazing, and I don't know what I'd do without her:D Thanks also to everybody who's still reading this story! Especially to all the people who have reviewed...man! It's a good thing these pennies are hypothetical...otherwise, I'd probably go broke:D **

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**Chapter Sixteen**

"Do you think they'll come?"

"I'm…not sure. I know they don't like us, but…Freya's always been very good at convincing people." I heard the crowd of vampires making their way into the clearing chuckle. The sound…it hurt. They were counting on me, and I'd let them down. I clung tighter to the tree branch I was sitting on as the anger coursed through me. If we all died…if any of the Cullen's died, it was going to be my fault.

"Where _is_ Freya?"

The vampires were standing below my tree now and directly under my feet stood Emmett. I grinned to myself, deciding to have a little fun. I flipped out of the tree, landing on Emmett's shoulders. He screamed in shock, making a sound very similar to that of a little girl running a particularly bad temper tantrum, and threw me off his back and up against the tree.

I snickered at him as I pulled myself up off the ground. "Wow, Emmett- I don't think I can even scream that high."

"Freya!"

Bella rushed over to me, and wrapped her arms tight around my neck. "Where is everybody?" she asked, looking around for Jacob.

My jaw clenched, and my hands balled up into fists. I could feel just the slightest bit of shaking in my fingers…so I pushed Bella away from me and took a few steps back, putting Emmett between us. "They aren't coming," I hissed at last through clenched teeth. "They decided that it wasn't their _responsibility_."

Everybody was silent. I knew that whatever hope they'd had of winning this battle against the newborns had been shattered with this news. I'd let them down- I was a failure.

"I'm going to go and…ah…phase," I muttered, turning around to wipe the tear away from the corner of my eye. I was silently cursing myself for crying- making the curses as loud and colorful as I was able so that Edward, my irritating mind-reading friend, wouldn't know what, exactly, I was crying about.

I made my way out of eyesight or earshot of the Cullen's, and phased. Clothes held carefully in my mouth, I trotted back toward the clearing, where everyone was waiting for me.

"Alright," Jasper began, clapping his hands together as he prepared to give us our vampire-murdering seminar. "The thing about newborn vampires…they're young. In this case, they are very, very young. This means that they are very naïve, but they are also very strong. When you're fighting a newborn, you have to remember two things. One," he held up his index finger, "do not let them get their arms around you. I know how much you love hugs, Alice," he winked at his mate before continuing, "but a hug from a newborn can be lethal, especially to you, Freya." I nodded at him, appreciative that he'd mentioned me at all. "Second of all, don't do anything too predictable. All they know how to defend against at this point is a direct attack- and easy kill. Make sure you're coming from the side, and this'll be a piece of cake. Emmett?" Jasper called his brother up to the front of the clearing where he'd been speaking.

Emmett stepped out of the line that had been formed by the vampires- one that I was pretty sure I had been purposefully left out of- and went to Jasper's side obediently.

"Okay, Emmett first, he's the best example of a newborn attack."

I let out a barking laugh. Everybody knew that Emmett was immature, but having him called out on it like that…God! It totally made my night.

Emmett didn't seem to like that too much. He glared at me before turning to glare at Jasper. "I'll try not to break anything," he threatened, cracking his knuckles. Dramatic little show-off…

Jasper chuckled, an amused grin spread wide across his face. "I only meant that you rely on your strength." He turned to address the audience as he continued his explanation. "He's very straightforward about the attack. The newborns won't be trying anything subtle, either. Just go for the easy kill, Emmett."

With that, they were off. My enhanced eyesight made it possible for me to see where and how they were moving. Emmett was lunging at Jasper from all sides. To me, his movements seemed obvious and predictable. While I watched, I thought to myself how I would go about attacking Jasper.

"_I'd just bite his head off,"_ I mused. _"That would be fun."_

"_Since when do you talk to yourself, Clip? Look, boys- she's finally cracked!" _

I grew very stiff then, focusing all my energy on the conversation inside my head. _"What are you doing here, you stupid mutt?" _I growled at Jacob.

"_Just thought we'd check out the scene," _Seth answered.

I growled at the group of werewolves, not trusting a single one of them. What on Earth made them care about what happened to the Cullen's now?

"_That hurts, Clip," _Jared replied. _"That really cuts us deep. We're your brothers- how could you not trust us?" _

"_I don't trust you not to rip the Cullen's to shreds. Besides…this party is by invitation only." _

"_Well then, you might want to go ahead and invite us, Freya,"_ Sam chuckled.

"_What if I don't feel like it?" _I challenged.

"_Then I guess we're just going to have to crash it, then!" _Jake exclaimed. Before I could even come up with a smart, witty comment that would have Jacob floundering like a fish, a bullet of russet brown fur came shooting out of the forest. Next thing I knew, Jake and I were rolling around on the forest floor. He was playing- I was just plain ticked off.

"_You've never been able to beat me," _he chuckled as he pinned me to the ground. _"You've never been able to beat any of us, come to think of it…You're going to need our help. You're great for sneaking around, I'll give you that. But brute force is more our style." _

He helped me up off the ground, expecting me to have given up.

But oh, did he have another thing coming.

I let out an ear-splitting howl, and dove at Jake yet again. I sunk my teeth into his neck, and rolled him over on the grassy ground. I had him pinned.

"_If you can't defend your words,"_ I spat at him, _"it's best not to talk at all. Get up." _

By now, the entire pack had lined up on the outer edges of the forest, waiting for direction from Sam to do something. Jake went back to the line, limping slightly. I stood between my brothers and the vampires protectively.

"_Wow. You really have chosen the vampires over us," _Paul growled. _"I thought you were our sister, Clip." _

"_We went over this already!"_ I cried with exasperation. _"You were the ones who made me choose! It's not like any of you came after me. It isn't like you tried to stop me…you just let me go. Because it isn't that big a deal if I'm gone, is it?"_ I guessed. _"I've never been that important to the pack. But at least _I _know better than to follow orders that come from a leader who cares more about _our _safety than that of the _humans _we are _supposed_ to be protecting!" _

"_Calm down, Clip,"_ Seth chuckled. _"We only came down here to apologize to you, anyway. You were right, we were wrong. Is that what you wanted from us?" _

"_We are sorry,"_ Sam added. _"We decided that your safety is more important than our rivalry with the Cullen's. We love you." _

With that, the group of werewolves made their way into the clearing. I watched with amusement as the vampires looked on in shock. Our pack had grown recently. We were now up at 13 wolves, altogether. That would, of course, be the army in Seattle's doing…the more vampires are around, the more werewolves need to be around to rip them to pieces.

Over the next few hours, we learned everything we could from Jasper about fighting the newborns. The pack worked on our attack plan- Jasper was right, this was going to be a piece of cake- and Bella freaked out about us all getting killed.

Her lack of faith in us was almost insulting.

The vampires took turns fighting with each other. Jasper nearly always won…except for when he was fighting Alice.

"_Aw,"_ I thought to myself with as much of a smirk that would come across on my wolfish face. _"The war hero does have a soft spot!"_

The other wolves chuckled, and Edward just sort of shook his head at me with an amused smile as he stood up to take his turn at Jasper.

Eventually, I got really tired of just sitting there. I mean, we weren't really doing anything- we were just watching and laughing as the vampires got struck down, one by one. Man…I really hoped the newborns weren't very good at fighting, because if they were…the Cullen's were screwed.

I stood up and made my way toward Jasper.

"_Freya…what are you doing?"_ Jake growled at me, rushing over so that he was standing between myself and the vampire.

"_Oh, get over yourself, Jacob," _I teased him. _"I'm tired of them ignoring us. We're supposed to be learning something…besides. I'm bored." _

"_Clip, you're going to hurt yourself." _

"_I don't think I will,"_ I mused, examining the vampire. I knew how he worked now. He anticipated his attacker's every move, and moved accordingly. I was guessing that he could feel that moment of anticipation that came right before an attack. That's how he always knew when to block. Frankly…I was a bit of an emotional wreck at this moment. (Think about it- I was ticked at my pack for not trusting me, secretly ecstatic that they'd followed me after all, desperate to prove that I was actually _worth_ something, and I was still trying to keep the fact that I was in love with my best friend a secret. As all this is running through my head, I'm also singing the alphabet as loud as I can to try and keep the other wolves- not to mention Edward- to hear my every single thought.)

Maybe that's why Jasper didn't like me. Lately…I've been so moody it's not even funny. Guess it had to do with being a teenage werewolf, or something. I dunno. But I sure had Jasper confused.

"_I'll be fine," _I assured Jake. _"Even if I'm not, well..." _I shrugged. _"Werewolves heal fast." _

I pushed past Jake and trotted right up to Jasper, looking him straight in the eye.

"_My turn," _I thought happily, sitting on my back legs and staring up at him. He was looking down at me in confusion.

"What does she want?" he asked Edward.

Edward chuckled, and I winked at him. "She says its her turn, and that the way you've been ignoring her and the other wolves is getting really annoying."

I nodded to Edward appreciatively. He was a good guy. Annoying sometimes, and the way he talked could be a little cheesy…but I guess I could forgive him for that.

"I don't fight wolves," Jasper said simply.

I rolled my eyes.

"_Fine. I'll be right back, then." _

I grabbed my clothes from Bella- she'd been holding them for me, sweet girl that she is- and made my way into the trees. I phased, changed, and ran right back to my spot in front of Jasper.

"Better?" I asked him.

"You're here to watch," he spat at me. "Not to participate. Go sit at the back like a good little dog."

"What?" I challenged him. "Are you…_afraid?_"

"I'm not afraid of you," Jasper said simply with a shrug.

"Maybe you should be." I grinned maniacally, and lunged at him. I focused on the emotions I'd been feeling throughout the day, and I could see his eyes widen as I dodged every single attack. Almost every punch I threw came into contact with his rocky skin, and before we'd even been at it for four minutes, I had my teeth at his neck.

The wolves howled at their victory, and I got a high-five from Emmett.

"Jasper, my dear friend," I said sweetly, turning to face the vampire once again. "Now. Would you please stop ignoring me and my friends? It's really starting to tick us off."

He just glared at me, then waved up his next challenger. Of course, it was Jake.

Jake hadn't discovered Jasper's secret like I had- he let his emotions get the best of him. Jasper had him down in under a minute. In fact…he beat all the werewolves, excluding Sam. (But then again…Sam was a beast- at least a foot taller than Seth, and a foot and a half taller than me.)

By the end of the night, I think it's safe to say that I'd gained the vampires' respect, if not their trust. We walked back through the forest together, laughing at the look on Jasper's face when I'd had him beat, and the way Paul had been flipped over onto his back. It was a nice walk, free of all animosity and hard feelings. Jake had his arm over my shoulder, and just like old times, Seth and I broke out into a run when we came within a mile of Sam's place.

"I beat you!" I laughed. "Yes!"

"What else is new?" Sam chuckled as Emily opened the front door to admit the troop of werewolves into her sparkly clean home.

"Did you have a nice time?" Emily asked us.

"Well…we learned a lot, that's for sure," Embry grinned.

"Yeah- I think we could probably take out the entire Cullen clan right now!" Quil added. "But…we would never do such a horrible, terrible thing," he added in a rush when he saw the glare that had etched itself across my face.

"Good boy," I nodded, patting him on the head.

"So…are we coming again tomorrow?" I inquired of my pack as I caught a roll Emily tossed to me from the kitchen doorway. "Nice catch, by the way!" I called to the woman. She was enjoying herself way too much, tossing rolls every which way. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Quil catching them in his mouth. If only he were a dog…he would probably win first prize in a show.

"I don't see why not," Sam shrugged. "A few of us should stay behind and do their rounds, but if any of you choose to observe again tomorrow night, feel free."

"Wait…where's Jacob?" I asked with a frown.

"He's probably just taking his sweet time, talking with Bella," Paul mumbled. "Idiot."

I sighed. "I'll go get him," I volunteered. I raced out the door, running back toward the clearing as fast as I could. I wasn't really in any hurry- I just loved the feel of the wind against my cheeks.

I slowed down as I approached the clearing. I didn't want to startle the vampires, after all- that would have been nothing but disastrous. Instead, I made my way slowly toward the edge of the trees. I was just about to make my presence known when I heard what Jake was saying.

"Ok, so leave her on the reservation. We're making Collin, Freya, and Brady stay behind anyway. She'll be safe there."

When I heard this, I froze.

He was going to let them leave me behind.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold up!" I exclaimed, jogging over to Jake's side. "Since when am I staying behind with the middle school kids? I'm a wolf, not a babysitter." I tried to let the humor of this comment cover up the hurt that I was feeling. Didn't anybody have any faith in me? At all?

"You're more of an overgrown dog, Freya," he said gently. "It' wouldn't be safe for you. And don't try to argue with me, either," he snapped as I opened my mouth to retaliate. "You know your wolf form is smaller than the rest of us."

"I was able to beat Jasper well enough," I muttered. "Not to mention _you_."

"Clip…can we talk about this later?" he asked with a sigh. "We're trying to figure out what to do with Bella during the fight."

"_Do_ with me?!" Bella exclaimed sounding really ticked off.

"You can't stay in Forks, Bella," Edward explained, as if speaking to a small child. "They knew where to look for you there. What if someone slipped by us?"

"What about Charlie?" she whispered. She was always thinking of someone else, wasn't she? Maybe that's why I liked her so much.

"He'll be with Billy," Jake assured her. "If my dad has to commit a murder to get him there, he'll do it. Probably it won't take that much. It's this Saturday, right? There's a game on."

"I could probably get Riff and my dad there, too," I offered. "Officer Swan's been suspicious of my dad since my mom ran off last year." It was true. Charlie Swan was always trying to get my dad for something. A few months ago, I'd heard rumors that he'd been going door to door in my neighborhood asking people if they'd ever seen signs of spouse abuse coming from my father. Like he'd ever done something like that.

"I am sorry about that, by the way," Bella apologized.

I shrugged. "It's nice to see that someone cares that much, to be honest," I admitted. "But yeah- Riff's good company. Annoying as hell sometimes, but Charlie likes him, I guess." I couldn't help but chuckle when I thought about my brother. He was a flirt, a troublemaker, and a straight-A student…what a contradiction! Naturally, everybody loved him.

"Thanks, Freya," she smiled at me.

"No problem," I shrugged. "They should be safe enough while I'm out fighting newborns with my pack."

"Clip…don't do this," Jake pleaded with me. "Don't make this harder than it is."

"Hiding you is just a precaution, Bella," Edward said softly, trying to keep me and Jake from fighting, as we were prone to do lately. "I told you- we'll have no problem now. There won't be enough of them to keep us entertained."

"Yeah, Bella," I grinned at her. "I'll probably only get to take out one of them- maybe two, if I'm lucky."

"Clip," Jake growled.

"I might just have to take my sweet time with the first one," I continued, trying to make it clear to Jake just how dead-set on fighting I was. "You know…play with it a little before I finally take it out. By the time I finished, the whole battle would probably be over."

"Freya Selene Beckett," Jacob snapped at me.

"Jacob Black, don't. You. _Dare_. Use. That. Name. With. Me," I growled at him, my eyes narrowed as I closed the distance between us. I never went by my mother's maiden name. It was Lust- not Beckett. I would not be associated with that cowardly, weak woman who hadn't loved me enough to stay. "I told you to _never_ use that name."

"Freya…I'm sorry," he apologized. "It just sort of…slipped out."

"I will be fighting with the rest of you on Saturday," I growled. "There's absolutely nothing you or anyone else can do about it."

With that, I took off into the forest, toward my home. I ran up the stairs and collapsed on the bed. I didn't even try to stop the tears that started flowing. Why stop the inevitable?

This was why I tried not to think of my mother. It seemed to be the only topic that could make me cry. I hated crying- tears were for the weak. For people who weren't strong enough to keep their head up and move on.

I'd tried to move on- believe me, I had. I tried to just push every memory of my mother away and out of my mind for good. I didn't need her. I had my dad, and Riff- I had the pack. I had Emily. What did I need a mother for?

_What did I want _my_ mother for?_ I wondered. She's been great at the beginning, yeah. I'd honestly thought that she'd loved me. She had taken me shopping, helped me decorate my room in the standard Disney Princess fashion when I was five. She'd brushed my hair, taught me how to paint my nails without getting nail polish all over myself. She'd taught me how to paint…and how to sing.

I'd looked up to her- I'd trusted her. So had my father, and Riff.

But then one day, she just packed up and left us- left me- all because I was a werewolf. In her eyes, I was nothing more than a disgusting, dirty monster unworthy of her love and devotion.

Yes, I was too weak to move on. The tears staining my cheeks were proof enough for that. Some part of me was still holding on to my mother- hoping that she would remember the daughter that shared a soul with the overgrown golden retriever she'd grown to hate. Hoping that she would remember all the good times we'd had, all the times she'd told me she loved me.

Hoping against all hope that she might have actually meant any of it.

And that's when I heard a knock at my window.

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**So- what did you think??? :D:D I love hearing from you guys, so...REVIEW!!! :D:D:D or don't. But if you want any hypothetical pennies, you'll review;) LOL:D**

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	17. Three Words Sleep Deprivation

Disclaimer: Ok, so, I bought Twilight from Stephanie Meyer the other day...

**Haha. Not. I don't own Twilight, and I probably never will...not that I'm going to let that stop me! Thank God for fanfiction- plagarism made legal;) **

**Alright, so, before I let you read chapter 17, I want to make sure you know a few things first. 1). my AmAzInG beta Rebecca Masen is currently out of town, so this didn't get sent to her. Please forgive any spelling/grammar mistakes. :) 2). I'm going on a school band trip on Saturday, and we aren't getting back until about 11 at night, so I'm not going to have time to get a new chapter up until maybe tuesday at the earliest. I'll definately try to have chapter 18 up by next week:) **

**Thanks to everybody who reviewed, and to Shadaria and Shadaria's twin for making sure I know when I'm taking too long with the next chapter ;) **

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**Chapter Seventeen**

"You don't have to knock, Jake," I chuckled, wiping my eye on the back of my hand as I opened the window tentatively. "I know that you know how to unlock a window."

He climbed up the side of the house quickly, with the grace and ease of a werewolf, and threw himself into my room. "Hey," he grinned at me.

"Hi," I replied, brushing my hair behind my ears in a distracted manner. I wasn't mad at him anymore, of course- I could never stay mad at Jake for longer than about five minutes. But I was all too aware of how red and puffy my eyes had become.

"Have you been crying?" he asked with a disapproving frown. Not that I could tell why he was so disapproving…it could have been because I was crying- as I've mentioned before, crying is for the weak- or maybe it was because he knew that he was one who had caused me to cry. Either way…he didn't look too happy as he reached up to brush away the tear streaking down my cheek.

My heart fluttered in my chest at the touch, and my breath caught in my throat. I had to remind myself that the way he was acting toward me right now meant something totally different to him. God, how I wanted to just reach up and kiss him right now…

"Of course not," I lied, moving away quickly and turning my back to him so that I could wipe the rest of my tears on the back of my hand without him seeing. My thoughts were that maybe if I wasn't looking at him, it would be easier to forget who he was, and how I felt about him? Ok. Yeah. I just sound stupid right now. I just didn't want him to see me crying again. "Werewolves don't cry."

"True," Jake humored me. "You must have gotten something in your eye."

"Or maybe I just looked a little too hard at your face," I commented with a smirk, turning around to take a strand of his dirty hair between my index finger and thumb. "When was the last time you had a haircut, Jacob Black?"

He just shook his head, chuckling to himself. "God, Freya…you always know how to brighten up my day, don't you?" I couldn't help but smile at that. I liked to think that I was brightening up his day. At least _somebody's_ day was bright. "And to think that I came here to see if _you_ were ok…"

"You didn't need to," I replied. "I'm fine."

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I know how you feel about your mother…it just sort of slipped, I guess."

"It's ok," I shrugged. "Accidents happen. I probably shouldn't have yelled at you in front of the vampires- that wouldn't have exactly earned you a perfect ten on the respect scale, I'm guessing."

"It's ok," he smiled. "I deserved it. I've been a real jerk to you lately, Clip. I don't know what's gotten into me."

"Into _us_," I corrected him with a light laugh. "I haven't exactly been showing my usual sweet demeanor and charm as of late, either."

"When have you _ever_ had a sweet demeanor, or charm?" he teased me.

"Hey!" I exclaimed, stomping my foot and crossing my arms over my chest as I pretended to be deeply offended by his comment. "That's not very nice, Jacob."

"Who said I was nice?"

"You have a point there," I grinned. "You've never really been nice…I guess I should know better by now, huh?"

"Hey! Now who's being not nice?"

I just laughed at him, wrapping my arms around his neck in a tight hug. "I've missed you, Jake," I laughed. "I've missed us being together in a room and not trying to kill each other."

"I've missed that, too," he sighed, winding his arms around my waist. Being so close to him like this…I couldn't help but notice how good Jacob smelled. For a wolf that, as a result of wrestling on the forest floor with Jasper and the pack, had quite a bit of dirt all over him…well. It was as if someone had sprayed him with his own special brand of perfume. Except…you know…Jake didn't wear perfume.

Did he?

"Hey, Jake?" I lifted my head up so that I could look him in the eyes while I talked to him. "If I asked you a personal question, would you answer me honestly?"

"It…depends?" he replied hesitantly. "What do you want to know?"

"Do you," I began, "or do you not…" I stopped mid-sentence, hoping to build the suspense. I made a big show out of taking a deep breath and muttering to myself about "taking a leap of faith, and just going for it". At last, I squared my shoulders and looked him in the eye again. "Do you wear perfume?" I asked.

At the same time, he blurted out, "Yes."

I don't know who looked more dumbstruck when the other's words began to register. Jake looked really confused…but he had nothing on me. "_What_ did you ask me?" he asked, clearly confused about the words that had just come out of my mouth. However- I was far more dumbstruck. I still hadn't gathered my wits enough to form a coherent response.

"Huh?" was my intelligent reply.

I swear I saw him blush as he replied, "Nothing. What were you asking about? Do I _wear perfume?_ What kind of ridiculous question is that supposed to be, Clip?"

I shrugged. "I was just curious…but you can answer honestly, Jake. I'm your best friend- I'll still love you no matter what brand of perfume you do or do not wear. Heck- I'll even let you borrow some of mine sometime. It really wouldn't be any trouble…"

"Thanks for the offer, Clip," he answered sarcastically with a quite impressive roll of the eyes. "But I don't wear perfume. Sorry to disappoint."

"Huh. Who would've thunk?" I mused, tilting my head to the side thoughtfully. "Out of curiosity…" I continued. "What were you saying 'yes' to?" My heart was pounding in my chest. I didn't know what I was expecting from him. All I knew was that Jake started blushing bright red at this moment.

Did he think I was…asking him out or something? _No- don't even go there, Freya, _I thought. _Don't get your hopes up. He probably thought you were going to ask him if he was still in love with Bells or something. Cause he is- hopelessly, pathetically in love. So don't get your hopes up._

"Nothing," he shrugged. "It's not a big deal- don't worry about it."

"Oh…so…are you going to the training again tomorrow night?" I asked him, taking a few steps away and sitting down on my bed with my legs crossed.

"Maybe," he shrugged. "I've got patrol…so I'll miss the first hour or so. But I might show up later."

"Cool," I smiled at him. "Hey…I've really got to get some sleep, Jake," I said apologetically. "Do you mind…?" I gestured toward the window, inclining that I wanted him out of my room. This conversation was just getting too…too high-school-soap-opera-ish for me, and I was sure that a good night's sleep would do me wonders.

"Oh…right. It's five in the morning. I'm sorry," he apologized, making his way toward the window. "I'll see you tomorrow, then, Clip."

"See you tomorrow," I grinned at him as he opened up the window and prepared to climb out. "Goodnight, Jake."

"'Night, Freya," he called from below. I listened to the sound his feet were making as he walked home- the grass was crunching almost inaudibly beneath his massive feet. **(AN: There's my little revenge on Jake for being so mean to Clip the last few chapters ;D Sure, saying he has big feet isn't exactly adequate revenge…but I can't be too mean to him, or he'll lead a character mutiny against me or something, and this story would fall to pieces. Which would be very, very bad…:D) **When the sound had finally gotten out of my earshot, I closed my eyes, and fell asleep.

"Clip! Wait up!"

Seth and I were currently running through the forest, making our way toward the clearing where the Cullen's were holding their daily Vampire-Slaying lessons. Having made a big a deal out of attending these seminars as I had, I, of course, attended every single one. How would it have looked to the pack if I'd suddenly decided that I didn't care anymore?

"Seriously, Clip, slow down!" Seth laughed, struggling to keep up. "I'm not as fast as you are!"

I dug my heels hard into the earth, stopping myself completely just in time for Seth to come crashing into my back. "Ha!" I laughed as we collided to the ground.

"Not quite what I was going for," he chuckled. "Idiot."

He helped me up, and I brushed myself off. "Hey, you told me to slow down," I pointed out. "You never specified how much I was supposed to slow down. I think it would be a safe argument that you brought this upon yourself, my young friend."

"Wow, so what? You're all wise now?"

"Oh, yes," I grinned at him. "I'm like the Yoda of werewolves. Be jealous."

"You are such a nerd," he laughed. "Come on- we're going to be late."

We took off running again, racing each other for the clearing. Seth and I did this every evening. Whoever won had to buy the other breakfast later that morning. I usually let him win every once in a while- it was a well-known fact among the pack that I was the fastest runner- but frankly, I was dead broke. I ran flat out through the trees, toward our destination.

"I WIN!" I cried in triumph as I arrived in the clearing. I ran right up to Jasper and dug my heels into the earth once more, successfully splattering mud all over his face. I laughed out loud at the way his dark eyes widened. Bella, I could tell, was having issues suppressing giggles of her own. "Brown is definitely your color, Jazz," I teased the severe vampire with a wink.

He just sort of stared at me, his gaze cold and obviously annoyed.

To be honest, I liked Jasper. He was harder to read than the others. I mean…you could always count on Carlisle to be all fatherly and wise. Esme was always the protective mother, Emmett was the arrogant egomaniac. Alice…well…she was just strange, but I suppose that I wasn't exactly one to judge. Rosalie was the stuck-up snob who thought she was better than everyone else, and Edward was the annoying, cheesy know-it-all who's usually so nice that everybody overlooks how annoying he is.

I had this family figured _out._

Except for Jasper, of course. He was a confusing guy. Almost as bipolar as I've been recently…but he seemed nice.

At least, he didn't look like he was about to rip my head off when he got done wiping the mud off his face, and I could have sworn I saw the beginnings of a smile starting to tug at the corners of his mouth.

Hey! I made Jasper smile! _Score._

"It's pleasant seeing you, as well," he chuckled, wiping the mud off of his face with his sleeve. "Let's begin!" he called to the rest of the group, clapping his hands together to get our attention.

That evening was spent tying up the last few loose ends in our master battle plan, as the newborns were to be arriving the following day. We had everything planned out perfectly…we knew it would work, because Alice saw that it would. I may not have liked vampires all too well, but having someone like Alice on your side was definitely an advantage.

I went home a little early, under the pretenses of having some laundry I really needed to get done. Actually, I'd felt Edward starting to poke around in my head, and it was making me uneasy.

You see, I was working on a little master plan of my own.

When Jake mentioned that I was going to be staying behind with Collin and Brady the day of the fight…well. I wasn't too happy. And yeah, I'd argued for the next couple of days, and thrown my share of tantrums. Not that those had gotten me anywhere, or anything.

Eventually, I realized that the more I argued, the closer Sam got to ordering me to stay behind. Which simply could not happen. He'd tried to order me around before…but what can I say? I was gifted at finding loopholes. No…if Sam were going to enforce his authority as an Alpha, he would be absolutely thorough, and then all my scheming would have gone to waste.

So for now, I had "accepted" Sam's decision to make me stay behind. But I was working on a quite elaborate plan of action that would keep me _away_ from the house, and closer to the battle.

Oh, how I couldn't wait for Saturday to come!

"Freya, I'd like to talk to you," a clam, smooth voice said from behind me.

I turned around slowly to find Edward standing behind me, looking tense as he wrinkled up his nose. I chuckled at the sight. I mean…you would have thought that he'd have gotten used to my smell by now. Guess werewolves were more adaptable than vampires were…

"Or maybe we have a better sense of hygiene," he retaliated with a bit of a smirk.

"Ah…you're listening to my thoughts again, huh?" I sighed. "You know, that could be considered an invasion of privacy. Maybe one of these days I'll get you arrested for eavesdropping on a conversation."

"That's unlikely," he chuckled. "Unless you frequently have conversations with yourself inside your head."

"You never know," I grinned. "I'd better get going. Dad wants the laundry done by nine."

"Freya, wait." He grabbed me by the elbow, holding me back. "I need to talk to you."

"You are talking to me, Edward," I pointed out.

"I know you're up to something," he whispered, all laughter gone from his voice. "I can't tell what- the name Calypso suits you well," he chuckled. "But you're up to something."

"I don't see how it's any of your business whether or not I am up to something."

"Yes…well, seeing as you are Bella's friend…I am making it my business. And I am imploring you not to do something stupid that will get you killed."

I snorted. "Yeah, that's likely. I think Jake is the one you need to be talking to, not me."

"I already have talked to him," he muttered. "Arrogant, self-centered…"

"Egotistical dog, yeah, I get it," I grinned. He'd gone on several of these little rants over the past few days. I could now recite this particular rant in French, Spanish, Latin, and Mandarin Chinese. "Look. I'm not going to do anything stupid to get myself killed. Alright? The whole point of this whole fiasco is to keep Bella safe- why would I do something that could hurt her?"

"I don't trust you," he said simply with a shrug.

"Why not?"

"Because you're keeping me out of your head," he smiled. "Although…you're the only one besides Bella who's ever been able to do that before."

"Maybe I just like my privacy?" I challenged. "The voices and I have many things to discuss."

He rolled his eyes at me and shook his head, apparently acknowledging me as a lost cause. Smart kid.

Realizing that we were drawing attention to ourselves- mostly from Bella and Jake, who were both watching us closely, I decided that it was time for me to go. "Goodbye, Edward!" I smiled at him before I went trotting back through the forest back to my house, preparing the lie I planned to spit out if Jake tried to follow me.

I wasn't too upset by Edward's declaration- I mean, I was bound to be figured out eventually. I may not be a strong believer in the whole, "Vampires are All-Powerful" thing the Cullen's seemed to think they had going on, but I had to admit- there were no secrets in that family.

Actually…I was kind of surprised that nobody had figured out my scheme before Edward's confrontation. I mean…between the wolves being able to hear my every thought and Alice's being able to predict the future, you'd think someone would have figured it out by now. Even if they hadn't…Jake at least should have suspected that I was scheming. Since when was Freya Selene Lust one to give up without a fight?

I was a fighter, that's for sure. I didn't give up easily- my pride wouldn't let me. Sure, sometimes this got me into a few sticky situations, but it was me. Maybe Jake didn't know me as well as I'd thought…

Or maybe he did have me figured out, but was on my side for this particular argument between myself and Sam.

I didn't know, and I didn't care- as long as he didn't do anything stupid to mess my plan up. I'd spent the past few nights lying awake, plotting and planning, and calculating carefully so that I didn't forget anything. By the time the actual battle came around, my plan will have been put into action.

And then it will be too late for anyone to do anything. Because by the time they notice…the battle will have already been one. So I really didn't care if someone found out my plan…as long as it wasn't Sam. He was the only one who could really put a stop to it, so keeping my secret from Sam was becoming my main priority.

I didn't know why- maybe it was all this planning about the upcoming fight with the newborns- but I suddenly got an overwhelming urge just to _run_. Not the kind of running Freya the human could do…but the kind Freya the wolf loved, with the wind whipping her fur every which way, and the rhythmic way her paws hit the ground…

I was just pulling my shirt over my head when Jake showed up.

"Whoa there, Clip!" he exclaimed, chuckling.

"Jake!" I screeched, pulling my shirt closer to me, feeling very, very mortified. "What are you _doing?!"_

"Well…I was going to come talk to you about something…"

"You could have warned me!" I cried. "Or…or something! God! You scared the crap out of me!" I clung the shirt tighter to my chest, taking deep breaths so as not to have a heart attack. To keel over now, the night before the big battle…yeah. _So_ not going to happen.

Jake just shook his head and chuckled. "Keep your shirt on, Clip…oh, wait," he grinned evilly, "it's already too late for that."

I glared at him as I pulled the shirt back over my head. "Jerk," I muttered. "What did you want anyway?"

He shrugged. "Just wanted to…talk to you about something."

"What?" I repeated, in a rush to get home so that I could get some sleep.

"Don't have to get all testy with me, now," he chuckled. "It'll just take a second, I promise."

"Go on," I sighed.

"Well…the battle tomorrow…"

"Yes?"

"I know you don't want to stay behind," he continued, choosing his words carefully. "And I know that you're probably working on some elaborate scheme that will probably end up putting you in the most dangerous part of the fight…and that you'll probably end up hurting yourself."

"Jake…I'm not going to hurt _myself,_" I grinned. "If I get hurt at all, it will be by the newborn vampires trying to kill me."

"Clip," he groaned. "You're not making this any easier for me right now."

"Sorry," I apologized with a shrug. "I rarely make anything easy."

There was a slight awkward silence- a pause, where neither of us said anything. At last, Jake felt the need to break the silence. "That's what she said," he grinned at me before breaking out into an uncontrollable bought of laugher.

I was laughing, too- I just couldn't help it. "Really?" I asked him as I wiped a laughter-induced tear from my eye. "A 'that's what she said' joke? God, Jake, you _are_ five!"

"I never cease to surprise you, do I?" he mused.

"Don't flatter yourself. Now…what were you saying?"

"Oh…right. Well…I want you to stay behind," he said in a rush. "Don't yell at me, I know you're probably going to find a way to get out of it, but we're leaving you behind tomorrow. So don't bother arguing. If you do, Sam's just going to go all Alpha Male on you, so don't argue with me." He crossed his arms over his chest, glaring down at me as if daring me to challenge him.

I just fluttered my eyelashes sweetly at him. "I don't know what you're talking about, Jake," I said far too innocently.

"Yeah, sure," he chuckled, relaxing his stance. "Just…make sure your little scheme doesn't get you hurt too bad. I don't know what we'd do without you, Clip." His voice and his eyes had grown soft as he thought about what losing me would be like.

Ok, now, before I tell you what crazy thing I did next, let me explain.

I was still on my adrenaline high after totally faking out Edward into thinking that I wasn't up to something. I was tired, hungry, and…well. We all know how pathetic I am when it comes to Jake.

"It's sweet of you to be worried of me," I breathed, the look in his eye taking me by surprise. He began to talk again…but I really wanted to get home. More to shut him up than anything else, I reached up and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Thanks," I whispered.

I don't know when it hit me, the boldness of my actions. But when I realized what I'd done…man. I was running faster than I'd ever run in my life. If anybody had seen the way I was high-tailing it out of there, they probably would have tried to stop me and ask where the fire was.

Only, that wouldn't work out too well. You see, if they'd tried to stop me, I probably would have just run them over.

I dashed into my room, locking the door behind me before I collapsed on my bed, panting, contemplating what I'd just done.

I'd kissed him. On the cheek, sure, but still. A kiss was a kiss, and I'd taken the initiative this time and done it myself. Guess my whole "Just friend" charade was pretty much over…

Unless he'd taken it the wrong way? I guess that's what I was going to have to hope for.

For now, I decided that it was best to take care of a few other issues facing me before I tackled my relationship problems with Jake. For example- sleep deprivation. I knew it could make people do some crazy crap…but never something of this magnitude. I shuddered at my idiocy one more time. Then, I curled up under the cool covers and let myself drift off to sleep.

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**There it is! I hope you enjoyed chapter 17 as much as I did...especially the ending ;) Man...poor Freya's soo confused. But I am right now, too, so...sorry about that:) I hope the chapter was ok even though I've been allowing my crazy/hectic personal life seep into Freya's story:) lol:)**

**Penny for your thoughts?;)**


	18. It's a Sign I've Got to Follow

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**Disclaimer: I'd love to say this in some cute, clever little way that will have you laughing hysterically until you cry and your sides are aching, but I'm afraid I'm just not that talented. Besides...if you all laugh yourselves to death, there will be nobody left to read my story, and then all my hard work will have gone to waste. So, I'm just going to go ahead and be frank about this. **

**I don't own Twilight. I never have owned Twilight. As far as I can tell, I never will own Twilight. **

**:)**

**Thanks again to my wonderful beta, Rebecca Masen, for looking over this chapter for me! You are amazing! :) :D**

**I hope you guys enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it:)**

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**Chapter Eighteen**

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I was running through the forest. Well…not

the_ forest, not the one back at home in La Push. It was a different forest…similar, but not the same. For one thing, it wasn't raining- a definite difference from my beloved reservation. The trees weren't quite as green either, and- as the result of lack of rain- there was much less mud. For once I could run without grimacing at the amount of hot water I was going to be using up during my post-patrol shower when I got home. _

_I was running toward a voice. It was a smooth, velvety voice that had somehow managed to mix honey and malice in an impossibly deadly way. I knew this voice- I shuddered slightly, but kept on running. I needed to get closer; I needed to get close enough o be able to hear everything Victoria was saying. _

"_So…they're expecting us," she said smoothly to a relatively tall vampire boy with reddish brown hair. "They know we're coming. Good!" she laughed like a hyena, throwing her red, curly head back. "It'll be a better fight! The kind James would have loved." At the thought of her deceased mate, she sobered up considerably, returning her focus to the conversation at hand._

"_They have werewolves," the boy informed her, his rocky vampire arms folded behind his back. "A whole pack of them. We can't win while there are werewolves. They'll wipe out our army in a second, and you won't have time to kill the girl." _

"_The werewolves are helping them?!" Victoria screamed. In a fit of rage, she ripped up a nearby tree by its roots and tossed it fifty feet away. "It's that Freya Lust girl, I know it!" she screeched. "She's ruining everything! I could have killed Bella weeks ago if it wasn't for her!"_

"_Are you so sure that Freya is behind this?" the boy asked, looking really kind of uncomfortable…although I wasn't sure why. Usually vampires were only too eager to kill the likes of me. Maybe he knew he wouldn't last long in a fight? _

_Or maybe…_

_For a second I thought I recognized the head of hair, messy, and reddish brown…vampire…_

_Oh, my God. Was Edward on the same side as Victoria? It couldn't be…that would be insane. He loved Bella- he'd never want her killed! _

_What kind of nightmare was this? _

"_Of course it was her, you idiot!" Victoria snapped. "Who else would it be? The rest of those wolves hate the Cullen clan. No matter," she smiled, seeming to have calmed herself. "I'll just have to kill them both. It shouldn't be too difficult…I almost had her last time." She let out another maniacal chuckle that sent shivers down my spine._

"_No!" the boy shouted. _

"What_ did you say?" Victoria padded closer to the boy, walking around him in a circle, her eyes blazing red with fiery anger as she stalked her prey. The boy was going to have to think on his feet if he wanted to get out of this alive._

"_I…I only meant…that the best way to get to Freya," he swallowed, rubbing his hands together behind his back nervously, "would be to go after the werewolf boy she's always hanging around. Jacob Black." _

_I gasped, my hand flying over my mouth. As soon as the noise had escaped me, I realized my mistake. Victoria turned to me first, her eyes boring into mine. I was expecting the cold, cruel look that seemed to be permanently etched across the red-head's face…but I was surprised when boy turned to look at me, the ruby red eyes of a newborn glinting with amusement._

_For a moment, I was relieved that it wasn't Edward- that would have been disastrous- but then the truth sank in. The horrible, disgusting truth of which one of my dearest friends had been bitten…_

"Freya! Freya, calm down!"

My eyes flew open to find Riff shaking me roughly by the shoulders. Tears were streaming down my face, and my throat felt raw. Had I been screaming? The dream hung over me heavier than the clouds that were almost certainly hanging over Forks. I sat up, and allowed Riff to rub circles on my back, comforting me as best as he could.

"R-riff," I sniffed, throwing my arms around him.

"Frey…you're still shaking," he frowned, holding me out at arms length. "What happened? I haven't seen you like this since you were a little kid."

"B-bad dream," I sniffed, shaking my head. "what with t-the b-battle and a-all going on t-today. I'm fine." I pushed him away slightly and stood up, crossing my arms over my chest tightly and trying to stop shaking. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath- that seemed to help. "I've got to get dressed, Riff," I said apologetically.

"Right…I'm sorry, Frey," he shrugged. He hugged me tightly, and left me alone. I locked the door behind him and sank down onto my bed.

What the hell had that been about?

The dream…oh, God, the dream…nightmare, more like it. It was terrible. Someone had tipped off the newborns about the werewolf pack. Victoria was planning to personally kill not only Bella, but now Jake, too, and probably me. Things had gone from "a piece of cake" to "a piece of delicious chocolate cake sitting right in front of you and smelling heavenly while you're on a strict no-chocolate diet" kind of situation. In other words…Hell. Yup. That's what this day was promising to be like…if the dream was any sign.

Something told me that it was. A sign, that is. I didn't believe strongly in signs- some people waited their whole lives for "signs", when if they'd just taken the initiative and acted, they could have had everything they ever wanted. Wasting your life away waiting for signs was not something I promoted.

However, only an idiot would ignore the kind of dream I'd had last night. It was a sign, plain and simple. And the sign was pointing in a direction that was going to make this war a lot more complicated…

Not to mention, I had to revise all of my careful planning in about an hour. God, I hated signs.

I dressed and took a shower and all the other stuff that we girls do in the morning so that we don't look hideous throughout the rest of the day, and then I grabbed the backpack sitting at the end of my bed that I'd packed the night before. In it were a few things I thought I might need…food, an extra change of clothes, and a first aid kit- although I wasn't sure how much good that would do up against a bunch of vampires. I had a book…because I was a nerd like that.

I arrived at Emily's house, fully prepared to begin on a deliciously hot breakfast that I was sure she'd been cooking for the past hour or so. I wasn't disappointed, either- she'd really gone all out. There were pancakes, sausage, bacon, eggs made in three different ways- not including the omelet she had cooking on the stove next to the biscuits and gravy, at least four different types of juice, milk, hot chocolate, and coffee.

"Are you alright, Emily?" I asked her as I looked around the overflowing kitchen with concern. I knew that Emily cooked when she was upset, but I'd never seen her like this before. She was fluttering about the kitchen with a crease in her brow, somehow managing not to knock anything over or ruin the food she was working so hard to prepare. She was like some sort of Kitchen Ninja or something.

"I'm fine, Freya," she assured me, stopping to smile at me before turning around to toss a pancake in the air and catch it expertly on her spatula.

"Uh, Emily? Your house is overflowing with food," I pointed out. "Are you sure you're ok?"

She sighed, putting the spatula down and brushing her hair behind her ear. Her scarred face suddenly looked about 10 years older. "I'm just…really worried," she admitted. "About Sam and the others, I…I just can't seem to stop thinking about which members of the pack won't be coming home," she sniffed, wiping away a tear that had come to her eye.

"They'll be fine," I assured her. "They're a pack of super-buff, super skilled werewolves. Nothing's going to take down an entire pack of us. We'll be fine."

I hugged her tight, letting her sob into my shoulder. It hurt…seeing her cry like this. It definitely shook my confidence in my plan.

Seeing Emily cry like this also made me feel a little guilty. I mean…here she was, all broken and freaked out, and I was planning a way to go out and probably get myself killed. She needed me, and I was planning to abandon her…

No. I couldn't think like that. If I kept thinking like that…I'd und up doubting my entire plan, and I'd be staying home with Brady and Collin and Seth…and then everyone would end up dead. Which would really, really suck.

I knew I was doing the right thing- especially after my sign last night. Did the others get a sign? No. This was something I had to do by myself- something nobody else but Calypso could get away with.

"Emily, this smells delicious!" I heard Sam call from the living room. I heard the door open, and the sound of several feet shuffling in and the wolves settling down on the many couches.

"We're eating at the table this morning, boys," she announced with a sniff, tearing herself away from me with an apologetic smile. I handed her a tissue to wipe her eyes. "Thanks," she sniffed.

"No problem. I'll set the table, alright?" I offered. "Go ahead and toss some cold water on your face. That's what I do," I whispered in her ear. She hugged me one more time, and did as I suggested.

I went ahead and set the table, making sure there were enough plates for everybody. "Hey, Jake!" I called into the living room. I knew he'd be there with the rest of the pack- Sam had called for a meeting to talk about strategies one last time before the big battle. "A little help with setting the table would be appreciated!"

I headed over to the china cabinet, pulling out the number of plates required for the entire pack to eat together. I turned around to set them on the table, and frowned. "What are you doing?" I asked him. "The table isn't set yet, and Emily wants us to eat together as a family this morning."

"I'm here to help with the table," he explained.

"Where's Jake?"

"Didn't he tell you?" Jared asked with a frown.

"Tell me what?" I chuckled. Jake always told me everything. We were best friends, after all. There was no way he'd been keeping secrets from me.

"Jake…took Bella into the forest to make a false trail yesterday afternoon," Jared explained. "They're hoping it'll lead the vampire's right toward that little clearing we've been meeting in. Jake's hiding Bella up in the mountains until after the battles over."

"So…Jake's up in the mountains…with Bella?" I asked, hardly able to believe what I was hearing.

"Oh…Seth and Edward are up there, too…I think," Jared frowned. "Doesn't matter. I'm just surprised he didn't tell you."

"Isn't the false-trail, hiding-in-the-mountains more of my kind of job?" I asked with a frown. "You know…Calypso, super-sneaky ninja-werewolf kind of work?"

Jared just chuckled, shaking his head. "You're so weird sometimes, Clip. If you want to know why Sam didn't pick you for the job- go ask him."

"You know what?" I growled, suddenly very angry at the thought of Jake up in the mountains with Bella while the rest of the pack was fighting and I was stuck in the house. "I will ask him!" I thrust the plates into Jared's hands with a little more force than necessary- he stumbled a little, and nearly dropped all of Emily's nicest china.

I marched into the living room and stood in front of Sam with my hands on my hips. "Why is Jake up in the mountains with Bella?" I demanded. "That seems to be more of my kind of thing, doesn't it? I mean…it's not as if I've been slacking off recently, or anything. I've been running double patrols for months now, I fought off Victoria a few weeks ago…even if you think I'm too weak to fight today, you can't honestly claim that I'm not perfectly capable of watching over a human while she hangs out in a tent all day." I crossed my arms over my chest, breathing heavily after the pathetic rant I'd just finished. I tapped my foot impatiently on the carpet, but he just stood there looking at me, confused. "Why didn't you give me the job?" I asked him at last. "Because I don't think it's fair that you should take out one of our best fighters, and leave me here at home."

"I didn't give you the job because it wasn't my job to give," Sam explained slowly, obviously choosing his words carefully so as not to upset me any further. Smart man…

"What are you talking about?" I demanded once again, my hands returning to their place at my hips. "You're the Alpha."

"Yes…but it was Jake's idea," Sam confessed at last.

"WHAT?!" I screeched. "It was JAKE'S idea? Are you freaking kidding me, Sam?"

He cringed, but let me continue on with my little tirade. "It was Jake's idea to pull himself out of the fight, hide with Bella in the mountains, and leave me at home?! What the hell! If he'd just put me up with Bella, he could help you all out a little! Now we're five wolves down and while you and the pack are out there risking your lives, Jacob is going to be up in the mountains wasting his time telling scary stories and making s'mores!"

"Calm down, Freya!" Sam barked. "I get that you're ticked off about being left behind, but cool it! I don't care how many newborns are out there- I don't care if they're waiting right outside the door for one of us to get thrown out. But if you can't control yourself in my house, so help me God, I will throw you out the door with my bare hands!"

I crossed my arms over my chest, and went upstairs with a huff to the guest bedroom.

It was a pretty room- light yellow wallpaper and soft white carpet, with white trim on the walls. The bed was really soft- softer than mine at home. When Mom first left, my dad had stayed late at work. Sometimes, he wouldn't come home until two in the morning. Every once in a while, he hadn't come home at all. For the first couple of months, while Riff was at school, I'd stay here every night. It was mostly my room now- although each of us wolves had stayed here at one point or another.

Usually the room was littered with someone's stuff. Today, it was clean. I guess we'd all had relatively quiet family lives recently…except for the Clearwater's. But after Harry died earlier that year, I suppose neither Seth nor Leah had the heart to leave their mother even for a night.

I thought it was hard to be rejected by my mother. It would probably be even more painful to have her stolen from me forever by something like a heart attack.

I collapsed on the bed, taking deep breaths and willing myself to calm down. I needed to calm down- to focus. Focus on the plan, Freya, I thought. Keep your eye on the prize. Get your head back in the game.

For reasons unbeknownst to me, I began singing that song from High School Musical in my head. As soon as I recognized the melody as one from HSM, I cringed, and let out a disgusted groan. I'd hated every moment of that movie. High school wasn't like that, with kids breaking out into song and dance all the time. In real life, not only does nobody know the same songs as you, but not a single person will stand up on the tables and dance with you, either. In fact, most people will just call the principal and have you escorted by security to the nurse's office. I'd found that out the hard way.

I ran over the plan one last time before heading downstairs to eat breakfast with the rest of my family.

When we were finished, I wished the rest of the pack good luck, making sure to hug each of them on the way out. When they were gone, I told Emily I was going to go take a nap- that I'd been up late the night before. She nodded distractedly and began working on lunch for Collin, Brady, and myself.

When I got to my room, I phased with the backpack adjusted very loosely on my back, just as I'd practiced the night before. I must have mastered the technique, because the backpack stayed on my back without ripping to shreds as it would have with the other wolves when I changed into my golden retriever/wolf form. Grinning to myself, I prepared to leap out the window.

It was then that my guilt finally caught up with me. I mean…I was just abandoning Emily. Leaving her, when she needed me…just like my mom had. Suddenly, I couldn't bear to leave without saying goodbye. With a sigh, I phased back and fished out a pencil and a pen. I sat down at the desk and wrote Emily a letter:

____

_Emily,_

_I know you're probably really freaking out about me right now, about my safety. Well, don't- I'm fine. I'm really sorry about leaving, and I don't want you to waste your energy worrying about me, or Sam, or any of the others. They're going to be just fine, I promise. _

_I hope you aren't too angry with me, for leaving like I did. I don't expect you to understand why I'm doing this…but that's ok. I don't really get it either. Lately, I've just been so confused about everything…it's like I'm stumbling along in the dark, without a flashlight. But last night, I had this dream…and suddenly it's like someone's handed me a candle and a couple of matches. I know that they aren't going to last very long. Pretty soon, they'll burn out and I'll be stumbling again, and if I don't use them now, I'm never going to get back into the light. _

_That's why I've left. Because of that dream. I mean…I'd been planning on leaving and joining the battle all week, but you must have known that. Everybody seems to have known. However…yesterday, I was planning on escaping because frankly, I'm stubborn, and don't really appreciate being left behind. This…this is something different. Something important that only Calypso can take care of. _

_The dream I had…it was about Victoria. She knows that the werewolves are on the Cullen's side, and she knows that we're waiting for them. All of this…everything she's planned has just been one big distraction to get to Bella. Now that she knows about our plan, she'll be looking for Jake's scent. She isn't stupid, after all. Jake's pretty much led her straight to their camp with that "false" trail of his, and then Victoria will kill both Jake and Bella in the blink of an eye. And then she'll come after me. _

_Hey- it's the price you pay for ticking off a red head, am I right? _

_I'm going to try my best to get to Victoria before she can get to anyone else. I promise to be careful, and to try my best to come home in one piece. You've got to promise me something, though- that you won't tell anybody that I've left. If you do, they'll just come looking for me, and then my entire plan will be ruined. _

_I wouldn't ask this of you if it weren't important, Emily. You can't tell anybody, or Victoria will know I'm coming. If she knows…then I'm screwed. If I'm screwed, then nobody will be able to warn Jake, Bella, and Seth…and they'll all be killed. I don't want them to die. I don't really feel all too keen on dying quite yet, either. _

_One last thing before I go. It's about Jake. _

_If I don't make it back, for whatever reasons…I want you to tell him something. _

_Tell him that I love him. _

_Yeah, I know…you can give me the "I told you so" later, when all this is over. But for now…I just don't want to die not having told anybody. I get that he doesn't feel the same way, and that hearing the truth when I'm dead is just going to hurt him even more...God, I'm starting to feel really selfish now…but I do love him. I've loved him for…well. Forever. _

_I don't know why I'm telling you this now…I mean, I'm fairly certain that things are going to work out just fine. I plan on letting him know, come Hell or high water, when the battle's over. I don't care if Bella's standing right behind him with a bat in her hand while I say it, either. I'm just going to say it, and then let the chips fall. _

_I hope you're proud of me, Em. Not just in this aspect of the twisted mess that my life's been, but in general. I've done my best to make you proud, you and Sam and the rest of my pack. That's all I've ever wanted to do, you know. To prove myself to Sam, and to you._

_You're like the mom I've always wanted, Emily. Thanks for everything you've done for me over this past year- it's been the hardest year of my life, but somehow, it's also been the best. Becoming a werewolf truly was the best thing to ever happen to me. _

_I love you, and the others, all so much. I'll see you soon, I swear! _

_With love, _

_Freya_

I put down the pen and wiped the tear from my eye. I folded up the letter, and placed it on the pillow where Emily was sure to see it. When all this was taken care of, I phased once more, and leaped gracefully out the window.

My padded paws landed silently on the grass, and I began making my way toward the woods.

Toward Victoria.

_______

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_**Oooo...Cliffhanger;) Don't you guys just hate it when I do that?? hehe:) I feel so evil now:) **

**Ok...so I've gotten a request for a chapter in Jacob's point of view? What do you guys think? Yay or nay? **

**Penny for your thoughts?;)**


	19. I Really Do Regret Leaving You Behind

**Disclaimer: I'm not like some of the other authors on fanfiction who always manage to find some cute, clever way of saying the disclaimer. So I'm just going to come right out and say it. I don't own Twilight. :D**

**I'm SOOOOOOOOOO sorry about the delay with this chapter! I know you're probably all really mad at me for taking so long, and I'm sorry. It doesn't help that this chapter is really short...but I'm working on ch. 20 already:D It's going to be ah-mazing! *unless I do something stupid in the plot to mess it all up. Which would be really bad:)* **

**Thanks to all the people who have stuck with this story, even after I've been so bad with the updates:( Please keep reading, and feel free to drop me a review or send me a message to remind me to keep updating every once in a while:) It really does help with the inevitable writer's block that I suppose every author gets at one point or another:D **

**This chapter is in Jake's POV- just like I promised;) I hope he doesn't end up sounding too much like a teenage girl:D **

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"Jake, calm down," Bella chuckled nervously from the tent I'd set her up in sometime the night before. I'd been pacing up and down the small clearing that was still muddy from the previous night's rain for about an hour now. I guess she was getting worried, or something. "Seth's already keeping watch. Just watching you is making me nervous."

"Right…sorry," I mumbled, not exactly meaning it. Heaven forbid Bells was nervous. My brothers and- in Leah and Clip's case- sisters were out getting ready to rip the heads off sparkly, super-strong and definitely lethal vampires. Not that I said any of this out loud- I wouldn't want her to freak out any more than she already was.

Frankly, Bella Swan was a bit of a spaz. A sweet girl with good intentions, sure, but when it came to the safety of others…she was a nut. A faithless, irritating little nut that I really just wanted to crack upside the head every time she opened her mouth to apologize.

"What's bothering you?" she asked, smiling sweetly up at me while her boyfriend's arms wrapped around her, his face making more of a smirk than a smile. I bet Edward got great pleasure in my pain, after what I'd done to Bella…not that I blamed him. Not anymore.

The acidity of my thoughts toward her probably wasn't helping my case, either.

"Nothing," I lied. In fact…there were quite a few things bothering me. Most of which had to do with Freya. She was probably really ticked at me right about now, for making her stay behind. But she was just so much…smaller that the rest of us were. I could probably break her in half like a toothpick.

All I'd wanted to do was keep her safe. To keep her from creating some stupid, elaborate scheme that was more likely than not to get both of us killed. I guess I should have known better…I mean, Clip may look like a dog, but she won't even sit or roll over on command, much less _stay._

I chuckled lightly at my own joke- there were times I was really glad Clip couldn't hear what I was thinking outside of my wolf form. 'Cause I made quite a lot of dog jokes when I was around her.

Edward just rolled his eyes at me and attempted to pull his fiancée- can you believe it? His _fiancée?_ - back into the tent and away from the cold, wet mountain air.

"Seriously, Jake," Bella continued, fighting against Edward's grip. He, of course, let her go, and watched with disdain as she came to rest her hand on my shoulder. Remembering all the crap I'd put Bella through, I couldn't help but flinch a little at her touch. She sighed, removing her hand, and continued. "I know something's up. It's not…it's not because of me, is it?"

I looked at her in shock, hardly able to believe what I was hearing. Because of her? Everything always had to be about her, didn't it? For a girl who pretended to be all modest, she really was full of herself sometimes. "What are you talking about?" I snapped my immediate irritation evidence of my sleepless night that was finally getting to me.

"Well…I know you wish you could be down there…fighting…but you're up here, babysitting me," she frowned. "It hardly seems fair to you."

I sighed, pushing her gently back toward the tent. "It's freezing out here, Bells." I didn't really feel like playing 20 Questions at that moment. "If I wanted to join the fight, I could have. I could've had Clip up here in an instant to babysit you- she would have loved every minute of it. Instead, I leave her down at the house and trust her not to do something stupid." I groaned, my head falling down into my hands with the force of the guilt. I knew how much it was hurting Freya to be left behind like this.

"You're worried about Freya," Bella guessed, a knowing smile touching her lips. "I should have guessed."

I chuckled, shaking my head in disagreement. "If there's anybody I _don't_ have to worry about, it's Clip. She is perfectly capable of taking care of herself."

"True," Edward agreed, stepping out into the sunlight. I could never get over the way these leeches sparkled in the light…it was unnatural. It made me want to take a lunge at his throat…_Not that I would,_ I added as an afterthought, glancing at Edward to make sure he'd heard me. _Not with Bella here, anyway._

He just shrugged, and wrapped his arms gently around Bella's waist again, resting his chin on her shoulder as they looked out into the sunrise, rubbing his victory in my face.

I wasn't so much jealous as nauseated. I mean…ew. How cliché were these two? Wrapping their arms around each other, kissing, looking out at the horizon as the sun rises…it made me want to vomit all over the sparkly leech's head.

Yeah, I know. I sound real bitter right now…but I have been a lot lately, whenever I'm around these two.

"Edward…can I talk to him alone?" Bella asked, turning her head up toward the vampire and kissing him on the cheek as he released her. He nodded, and stalked back toward the tent. "Jake." She turned to me, concern written across her face. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, Bells," I chuckled. "Thanks for being so concerned, though. It's sweet of you." I tapped her lightly on the nose with my index finger, eliciting from her an annoyed look and a swat on the arm.

"Jake," she groaned, looking so frustrated I though she'd start pulling the hair from her head at any moment. "I'm serious. What's up with you and Freya? I thought you guys were friends again."

"We are," I mumbled. _That's the problem_, I thought. I felt like a middle school girl saying it like this, but…God, I really wanted her to stop the whole "friends" bull that she'd been dishing out lately. I've gotten kind of sick of it. I mean…a few weeks ago, before I'd, you know, accidentally kissed her, I wouldn't have cared. I value my friendship with Clip more than my friendship with any of the other wolves…but I don't think she knew that.

Bells just sighed, shaking her head, and left for the tent. Apparently, she'd given up on trying to understand me.

That was the difference between Bella and Clip. Bella tried so hard sometimes- it was one of the reasons I loved her so much. But…Clip didn't even have to try. She understood everything. Even the things I wish she'd overlook.

I wondered what she was doing right now. I doubt that she was sitting on Emily's back porch like a good little girl. She was probably stirring up trouble somewhere. I only hoped that whatever she was doing wasn't something completely idiotic. People as stubborn as Clip could be prone to inevitable idiocy.

I sat down on the grass next to Seth. The large grey wolf rested his head on the ground and stared at me, whining. Wanting to know what the heck was going on with me today. "I'm fine, kid," I chuckled, patting him affectionately on the furry head. "Just wallowing in my self-pity, I guess." He chuckled a wolfish bark of a laugh, shaking his head from side to side. As if he found me amusing.

I'd never been able to understand Seth Clearwater- I decided that now was not a good time to try.

"Any news?" I asked him nervously.

He looked at me pityingly, and shook his head. I patted him again and resumed my pacing.

As I stamped my path even more solidly into the wet grass, I let my thoughts wander. This was one of the luxuries of being in human form- not having people hear what you were thinking all the time…

"Aw, crap," I muttered, scowling to myself. I heard Edward chuckle inside the tent. Of course, he'd be able to hear everything.

I sighed, shaking my head. It didn't matter to me what Edward heard. Sure, he'd probably go tell Bells if it were anything really important…but he wasn't an evil guy, annoying as hell with an ego bigger than his head, sure. But he wasn't necessarily bad.

I let him soak up that delicious, juicy piece of private information. Oh, what I wouldn't give to see his face just then…I chuckled to myself, feeling very clever and wondering why I hadn't done something like this before. Think something completely outrageous, like, "I love you Eduardo!" or whatever, and then get to see the look of surprised disgust on his face.

I was definitely going to have to try that, when all this was over.

When all this was over…God, I could think of a million things I wanted to do when all this was over. For instance: take a shower. A nice, hot shower. It was almost a miracle, being cold- I hadn't been cold since before I'd first phased. But being up in the mountains, in the rain, with a vampire in the room…things were bound to get chilly. It was a miracle Bella still had all her fingers and toes.

I also needed to talk to Clip. To apologize, you know? Because I knew that I'd been a real jerk to her lately. I'd done so many terrible things to her in the past couple weeks…it was a miracle we were still friends.

I guess it all started with Owen- that friend of Bella's Clip had thought she'd imprinted on. He was a real trouble maker, that's for sure. I'd had everything handled- I was in love with Bella, on the verge of stealing her away from that stupid boyfriend of hers. But then Owen had to go and mess everything up.

When Clip told me that she'd imprinted…well. I didn't really believe it. It just wasn't possible. Clip wasn't really the imprinting type. Nobody told her what to do- not even nature itself. She did what she wanted, and that was that. Ask her no questions and she'll tell you no lies. You know? So I guess when I'd heard that she'd imprinted…I wanted to know if it was true. To see if she could ignore the guy.

Even if it had turned out to be true, I would have at least known what would happen to me if I were ever to imprint- heaven forbid. That would really screw up just about every aspect of my life. This would, by the way, really suck.

I still don't think Clip and Owen imprinted and if they had…well. Clip wouldn't have been so fast to ditch the guy, not that I blamed her. He was a total tool. The way he showed up at the movies with another girl, then made plans to go see a different movie with Clip…

Wow. Did Clip ever get to see Face Punch II? I assumed that she had. I mean…she'd wanted to see it so badly. Somebody else in the pack probably took her.

Whether she'd seen it or not…I was definitely adding seeing Face Punch II to my list of things to do when we won this thing.

Speaking of Clip…I was definitely going to have to take her to the movies sometime. Ever since that stupid little kiss…I couldn't stop thinking about her. She was everywhere. I mean, everywhere I go, she's there. And I loved it. I loved seeing her, and talking to her, and being with her…I suppose I always had, but it was different now. I _needed _to see her. If I couldn't see her, I was antsy, panicky. Not quite myself, you know? It was how I used to be whenever I thought about Bella.

I must be going insane. I must be…because there is no way that I was falling for Clip. She was my sister. Kissing her before had been a huge mistake. It was like kissing my sister, which just wasn't ethical. I didn't even know if it was legal.

Things that morning had gotten way out of control. I'd been a complete emotional wreak, freaking out at the way Freya had been attacked. Again.

Heaven help me if she gets hurt again. I might just go strangle myself. Seriously, Sam had to nearly tie me back when I found out about Victoria's attack. It hadn't been a pretty sight.

Of course, this time, if she got hurt, it would be my fault. My fault, because sticking her in Emily's house undoubtedly presented a challenge for Freya. I knew she was going to try something. I knew Clip better than anyone- even her father and brother. And I knew that she cared less about her own safety than about the safety of those she cares about.

I guess I could have avoided Freya's inevitable escape attempts by just giving her the job of "babysitting" Bella. She would have been mad, yeah, but her friendship with Bells would have kept her from trying to fight.

This was, after all, the whole reason for leaving her behind.

But now I was feeling really, really bad about leaving Clip at home. Even worse because, if I'd let her come up here with Bella, I could have spent my talents fighting the newborns with the rest of the pack. No…no. I was being an idiot. I should go home right now, get Clip, tell her where Bells and Edward were, and get down to the clearing and help out a little.

What if she got hurt, though?

I thought about this for a moment. Clip would be happier having something to do…but safer at home. I'd rather she be safe and miserable than in injured and having the time of her life.

"I'm leaving," I announced to Edward, Bella, and Seth before I left. "They're going to need my help down there. You watch them," I ordered Seth. "Don't let Bells do something stupid."

Seth whined, looking up at me with pleading eyes. _Don't leave me up here, with the vampire _they seemed to plead. I chuckled, patting him on the head.

"The pack is probably going to need my help, kid," I said apologetically. "I'm sure we'll both be fine."

He nodded, howling for good luck as I raced down the mountain, toward my family, who was undoubtedly waiting for me to regain my sense and join them.

I may not have been able to figure out exactly how I was feeling as far as Clip was concerned…but I knew where my priorities lay. My pack meant everything to me, and they didn't need to wait any longer.

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**There's chapter 19 everybody! I hope you liked it:D Chapter 20 should- hopefully- be up by next week. This week's the last week of school *YESSSS!:D:D:D:D* so I should be updating a lot more often once summer starts:D **

**Penny for your thoughts? ;)**


	20. Sometimes Our Mistakes Are Fatal

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Twilight:( If only...haha:)**

**OMG I AM SOOO SORRY! I posted this chapter about an hour ago, and I had the author's note all ready to go and everything...but I forgot to save it! So if anybody read this story before and were confused by the POV changes, I'm REALLY, REALLY sorry. Thank you Lov3good for pointing this out to me! *you were also my 100th reviewer, by the way;) :D* **

**Thanks sooo much for putting up with me and my klutzy ways:) I'm soo glad there are still people out there who are reading this. You're all amazing! Enjoy chapter 20! I'll make sure to mark the POV changes this time;)**

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**Chapter Twenty**

I was completely, 100% focused on not thinking. I had to be- if the other wolves knew I was coming, they'd freak. Knowing Jake the way I did, he'd probably tackle me, knock me out, and drag my limp, cold, unconscious form back to Emily's place, duct tape my mouth, and tie me to the desk chair with a jump rope- maybe even duct tape me to the chair, just for good measure. No…the other wolves discovering my departure would be disastrous. I needed to focus.

Luckily, I _had_ earned the nickname of Calypso. I was the most talented in the pack at hiding my thoughts from the others. It was really simple, actually…if you took deep breaths, and imagined an eraser wiping away a whiteboard. All of a sudden…whoosh! Your thoughts disappear, and you are virtually invisible to the rest of the pack.

I was so focused on keeping myself from thinking about where I was that I would have probably run into something- a tree, a large boulder or perhaps even an angry grizzly bear should I have come across one- but my knowledge of the forest and my familiarity with my surroundings made it possible for me to navigate through the tangle of trees, rocks, and unhappy wildlife without losing my way…or my balance. My heightened senses helped a lot, too. I found myself itching to let my wolf self take over, to let myself run without thinking, without feeling- without worrying about what I was running toward. I gratefully gave myself over to instinct, if only just for now. For this moment, as I dashed through the foliage of the dense forest, I was just another wolf, small and insignificant in the grand scheme of things, chasing after its prey.

Eventually, as I began to go beyond the farthest path my daily rounds had ever taken me, I began to rely less and less on instinct, and more on my own memories. I couldn't help but let out a sigh. It was so easy to let myself forget about the danger Jake, Bella, and everyone else I cared about was in. It would have been almost too simple to just give up, to give myself over to instinct completely…

_Jake needs you,_ a voice inside my head seemed to say. My conscience, I suppose…it sounded a lot like that chick, from that Harry Potter movie…the one with the really frizzy hair. You know? Hermione. It was in a British accent and everything…. which actually freaked me out a little.

Having my conscience sound like Hermione would have been a total MLIA* moment if it weren't for the dire situation I was in at that moment. I'd have to make sure I told someone about that as soon as all this was over. For now, I had a theory to test out.

I made my way by memory toward the street I'd only been down once before. The street sign had been stolen since my last visit, so the street- which I could see led to a cluster of small, older houses that could probably all use a fresh coat of paint- was a little harder to find than I'd initially anticipated. I really hoped I was going the right way…my eyes had been closed for half the car ride the day Owen had picked me up off the street.

It was also the day Jake had kissed me.

Crap.

I knew I was in trouble the moment the emotions began flooding through me. The other wolves would know something was up. This never happened to the guys- they were tougher than nails when it came to showing emotion. Especially around each other, and especially the kind of emotion I was feeling right now.

Which happened to be heartbreak.

I couldn't help it. I don't think anyone could blame me. He'd kissed me, after all. Jake had kissed me- not on the cheek, or the nose, or anything, but on the lips. Guys don't go around kissing their best friends on the lips like that. It wasn't some innocent, "Oops, my hormones got the best of me" kind of kiss. He'd done it on purpose, and I'd thought he'd actually meant something by it.

Not that I'd minded when he kissed me. Oh, no…that wasn't it at all. What I minded was the way he'd let me run away afterword. He hadn't chased after me, hadn't even called out the door, or phased just to make sure I was ok. And I ended up spending my day acting like somebody's lapdog…and on top of all of this, I'd caught Jake only a few days later totally making out with my one and only female friend. (Other than Leah…but she was so moody all the time that I didn't really get much of a kick out of being around her.)

As quickly as I'd let my defenses down, I raised them back up again. My mental eraser wiped across a nonexistent whiteboard, clearing my thoughts in what I believed to be quite an effective manner.

Once I had regained my control, I focused on the task at hand. I had to get to Owen's house as soon as possible. I flew across street corners, cut through backyards, and jumped fences. If I hadn't been in such a rush, the looks on the faces of the people I passed- especially the elderly couple who had invited a few friends over for an outdoor barbeque, who looked like they'd suffered a heart attack- would have been quite comical. I barked my apologies, and continued on my way.

When I finally arrived at the Anderson home, I kept walking down the street until I came to a house that looked pretty deserted. I hid behind one of the overlarge bushes that definitely needed a good trim, and phased. I changed into the extra clothes I'd packed in my backpack, and returned to Owen's place.

I knocked on the door, and waited.

When the door finally opened, I was brokenhearted to see an older man with red, puffy eyes looking at me. "Who are you?" he asked, his voice dead. This didn't look good.

"My name's Freya, I'm a friend of Owen," I explained. "Have you seen him? He was supposed to call me."

"I'm afraid that Owen is…is not here," he said wiping his eyes. "They found the body yesterday morning, just outside the forest. Attacked by mountain lions, they say."

Oh, crap.

"I am so sorry," I murmured. "I am so very sorry for your loss, Mr. Anderson."

He nodded at me, and closed the door.

So it was true. Owen had been turned into a vampire- by Victoria, no less- which meant that the rest of my dream was probably true as well. Now that I had the conformation I'd been looking for, I phased back into my wolf self and took off into the forest, toward the clearing.

It was time for step two of my master plan.

_****Jake's POV****_

As I ran down the grassy incline, I removed my cut-offs with a practiced ease and tied them around my back leg. I phased, leaping through the air as I felt the warm tingling sensation spreading up my spine. Next thing I knew, I was a big, furry wolf, and my stride had lengthened even longer so that I was now bounding down the mountainside. I could hear several different sets of thoughts coming from all different directions inside my head, and it was a relief to be with the pack again.

_What are you doing, Black?_ Paul snapped, obviously still more than a little ticked off at me for hiding myself up in the mountains with Bella. For once in my life, I agreed with him. _Thought you were with your little girlfriend. _

_Seth's with Bella- they'll be fine,_ I replied, brushing off his comment easily. It wasn't as if I cared what Paul thought of me anymore, anyway. He had a tendency to lash out at anybody who even went as far as to look at him the wrong way. His comments toward me made me in no way special.

_We don't really need you down here, Jake, _Sam assured me. _It's all going fine. You were so worried about keeping Bella safe before. Maybe you should go to her. _

_And miss all the action? _I scoffed. _No way. Being up there with that leech of hers has made me even more desperate to kill some vampires. Let me at 'em. _

Just as I was thinking this, I got my wish. With out giant bound that would have made Olympic high jumpers green with envy, I landed myself smack-dab in the middle of the battle, flattening a ruby-eyed newborn in the process.

Her strength surprised me. Once she had gotten over the initial shock of being flattened like a pancake- which actually only took a fraction of a second- she lifted me up in the air and threw me a few feet.

Jasper had warned us, about how strong the vampires would be. He'd warned us…yet it still caught me by surprise. However, I recovered quickly. I did not underestimate this young vampire again. I went in for the kill, grinning at the satisfying shriek that signified one less vampire alive on the reservation.

Left- dodge, right- slash. My movements took up a pattern as I began to dance with the second vampire that had the misfortune to cross my path. This newborn was a bit more experienced, I could tell. Partially by the half-crescent bite marks that seemed to glow up and down his arms, which I'd seen on Jasper, the war veteran of the Cullen Clan. His eyes weren't quite so bright, either. More of a blood red than ruby red.

He couldn't have been much older than his mid twenties, with curly dark hair and a smooth, wrinkle-free face. There were a few lines around his eyes- laugh lines, I realized, as our deadly little dance brought our faces closer together. This man had, once upon a time, been a decent guy. I was almost remorseful when I grew tired of the ballet performance and went for the kill.

_Don't get too overconfident, Jake,_ Sam warned me. He reminded me of how that first vampire had knocked the wind out of me with her five-foot toss. _Never underestimate your opponent._

_It may be the last thing you ever do,_ Jared added as he swung at his own vampire.

I hated being lectured.

However, this time, Sam was right. I was getting way overconfident. Just because I'd beaten two vampires in a matter of minutes did not at all mean that I was invincible. Close, maybe, but not quite. Jasper had told stories about how the strength of a newborn could break a human body like a toothpick.

More on my guard now, I leaped at the next vampire I saw.

"Stupid mutt!" Rosalie cried indignantly. "Get your smelly hide _off_ me!"

I rolled my eyes at the blonde. If she didn't want to be attacked, she shouldn't have come. She was one of them, after all, a leech. When in battle, how was I supposed to distinguish a friendly pair of golden eyes in the middle of all that sparkling skin?

Or maybe I just didn't like Rosalie.

Yup…that sounded just about right. I made sure to trip her with my tail as I got up and moved on to my next victim.

Things were going well. Nobody had been injured too badly, and the newborn's numbers were dwindling. Quil and Embry were dragging piles of body parts off to the sides of the clearings, and Esme was using a lighter to send them up into huge, billowing plumes of foul-smelling purple smoke that made my eyes sting and my throat itch like crazy.

I kept fighting, though. I knew that if I didn't keep fighting, I'd never get around to doing all those things on my to-do list I'd made up in the mountains. And I really did need to accomplish some of those goals, such as figuring out my feelings for Clip. That was kind of important.

As I worked on ripping the arms off a screaming newborn woman, I let my mind wander to a time, not so long ago, when Bells, Freya and I had sat together on Clip's bed and watched Lord of the Rings.

It was the night I'd declared my love for Bella. After Freya had punched me, called me an asshole, and stormed off with what I still swore were tears in her eyes, I'd gone home and banged my head against the wall for a good hour and a half. Her voice kept ringing in my ears; the betrayal in her eyes had seemed burned into my mind. I had replayed the scene over and over again, until I just couldn't take it anymore.

I'd run to Freya's house, knocked on her window. Thank God, she'd let me in her room, and I found here there with Bella.

I'd wanted to apologize to her that evening. I'd wanted so badly to wrap my arms around her, to hold her until she didn't feel like crying anymore. Who knows? Maybe I'd even have kissed her again. All I knew that night was that the sight of tears in Freya Lust's eyes made me want to chase after the asshole that made her cry. Of course…that asshole had been _me._ So I really just wanted to jump into a hole somewhere and die.

But no, Bella had been there again, just like she always seems to be. Messing with my head, making me second guess every single thought that pops into my mind.

But that night…as flawed as it had been, and as jerkish I'd acted, was still one of the better nights of my life. It was such a wonderful night because, even though I'd betrayed her, Freya had forgiven me. She'd invited me into her room, allowed me to sit on the bed with her and watch her favorite movies until we fell asleep, with my arm wrapped around her shoulders.

I sighed pathetically. My movements were slower now, less motivated as I continued to rip apart the vampire. Of course I knew how I felt about Freya. I'd always known- I'd just been too afraid to admit it. I was such an idiot sometimes…chasing after Bella when Clip was sitting right there in front of me with her trademark grin across her face…

When this was all over, I promised to myself, I would tell her.

When all this crap was finally over and done with, I was going to take Freya into my arms, give her the kiss of her life, and tell her that I loved her. And if she didn't like it? Well. Freya was just going to have to endure it, because there was no way in Hell that I was going to wait one more second to do what I should have done ages ago.

With a wolfish grin on my face, I dug into my work with new motivation. All I wanted was for this to get over with, and fast. It had taken me years to finally reach the conclusion I'd come to, and frankly, I'd wasted enough time.

I'd just tossed the vampire into the growing pile of bodies when I saw it- a familiar shade of coppery-red glinting in the sunlight, racing past me.

What was Edward doing here? He was supposed to be up with Bella. Curious, I followed the flash deeper into the forest, away from the battle.

He hadn't gone far enough for me to lose track of him- only a hundred or so feet away from the clearing. It was easy enough for me to trace the distinctive scent of vampire.

"Jacob," a cool, honey-like voice hissed. "I've been wondering when you'd show up here."

I looked up from the path, and there she was. Victoria.

"I've missed you," she said with a pout, walking up to pat my furry wolf face. I took a snap at her fingers- managed to get one off, too. I spat it out onto the ground and made a nice little show of stamping on it with my front paws. "Hmm," she mused, seeming almost amused as she reached out to pick the finger up, brush the dirt off, and reattach it with a sickening crack to her hand. "It appears as if the feeling is not mutual. Now…have you seen Freya anywhere? I've been dying to speak with her since our last meeting…"

I growled at her. There was no way she was getting to Freya. Not again- never again.

"Well then," she smiled at me. "I suppose I'll have to go look for her myself. She should be around here somewhere…and don't you look at me like that, you little mutt," she snapped at the incredulous look on my face. "You know better than anyone how little regard she has for the rules."

I just growled at her again, stepping closer, readying myself for the attack.

She just threw her head back, laughing. "Funny! Really, Jacob, you are. No…I don't have time to dance, Jacob. I've got better things to do…like tracking down that girlfriend of yours. Don't worry, sweetheart. My new partner in crime will keep you entertained until I'm done killing Freya, and whoever else is up hiding in that pathetic little camp you have set up in the mountains."

A cold hand tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around, and got a right hook to the face as a reward. I growled. It took a lot of nerve to punch a wolf. It was oftentimes the last thing a vampire- or anyone, for that matter- ever did.

"Miss me, Jake?" Owen smiled down at me as I spat the blood out of my mouth.

_Naturally,_ I huffed. _Freya's ex. _

"Let's dance, wolf boy," Owen grinned at me, his ruby red eyes glinting with something I'd never seen in him before, something almost…evil. I hardly even noticed the approving nod Victoria gave her protegee before streaking off into the woods. I almost went after her- there was no way in Hell I was letting her get to Freya- but Owen stopped me.

"Jake, I've got to tell you something," Owen said, getting my attention. "I know you won't believe me, but I love Freya just as much as you do, and would never, ever want her hurt..."

Oh. Oh,_ no_. Was he freaking kidding me? Was this supposed to make me calm down? A red-hot surge of jealousy tore through me, ripping at my senses like fire and leaving me alone with my instinct. And right now, my instinct was saying to protect my girl- and Freya was my girl. Or, at least, she would be as soon as we got rid of all the vampires. I growled at him again, and this time the murder was in my eyes instead of his.

_Clip's gonna kill me for this later,_ I thought almost happily as I lunged for Owen's throat.

_****Freya's POV****_

It was fairly easy to find the "false" trail Jake and Bells had set the day before up to their camp in the mountains. I was very accustomed to Jake's scent- to all the werewolves' scents, actually- and could have picked it out from a mile away. All I had to do was follow the smell up the rocky, grassy incline.

Edward wasn't very surprised to see me…but I suppose that very little ever surprised him. When I finally arrived at their little hideout- a shabby little tent set up in the shadow of a rocky cliff- he was standing outside the tent with his arms crossed over his chest.

Keeping to the shadows, I met his eyes and shook my head. _I'm not here,_ I instructed him, my eyes locked firmly on his. He gave a tiny, indistinguishable nod. The microscopic movement was barely enough to let me know that he could hear me. _Seth can't know I'm here,_ I continued. _Jake, either. I'm doing my best to keep myself cut off from the pack…but it's difficult. Jake and Seth can't keep their mouths shut._

The corners of his mouth turned up a little in amusement at the slam toward my fellow wolves. Yeah…he really didn't like us. Not that I could really blame him- the first wolf he came into contact with in who knows how long decided to try and steal his girlfriend. I'd be kind of ticked off if I were in that situation, too. Except, you know, I don't have a girlfriend.

Or even a boyfriend, for that matter, which really kind of sucks if you ask me.

Anyway…now that I'd found Jake's little "hideout", I was focusing my energy on keeping Victoria away from the camp. I knew that she would be coming here sooner or later- it was all part of her master plan, after all. But my master plan was better…sneakier. More worthy of Calypso's name, and all.

All I could do until Victoria showed up was sit back on my haunches and wait patiently for the inevitable flash of scarlet among the green foliage of the forest.

I wondered absently what Jake was doing inside the tent, what he was thinking about. Did he feel bad about leaving me behind? Did he regret his decision? Had he guessed that I had escaped from Em's house?

I may not have known the answer to the first two questions, but the third one was a no-brainer. Of course he knew. I mean…I'd been talking about doing just that ever since Sam had announced that I would be staying behind. The other wolves may not have taken me seriously, but Jake knew better. I thanked God in Heaven that he hadn't, for once, stuck his nose in other people's business and warned someone.

After a few minutes of standing guard, I began to get anxious. Where _was_ she? She had to have known I was here. This had been part of her plan, too. Killing me, that is. I knew that she knew I was here, waiting for her…I suppose that Victoria was just doing what she always did- bide her time.

I sighed, laying down on the grass and resting my furry head on my two front paws in boredom. After all the running and plotting and worrying I'd been doing that day, all I wanted to do was jump up and fight somebody. I wanted to be moving, to be doing something productive…but instead, I was lying here in the grass like some sort of bump on a log.

It was then that I heard it. The laugh. I'm sure you've heard this kind of laugh before. It was a light, lilting, makes-you-want-to-gag-with-sarcasm kind of laugh, like the kind that red-head in Oklahoma has.

This laugh could only belong to Victoria.

"Ah…Freya Selene," Victoria greeted me with a smile so acidic, I actually wanted to puke. "I can't even begin to say how pleased I am to see you again. I see your leg healed nicely?"

I just continued to glare at the evil woman before me. If looks could kill…

Well. If looks could kill, there wouldn't have been a need for the nice little newborn army my dear friend Victoria here created. Somebody really needed to invent that superpower and give it to me already.

In the blink of an eye, I was up on my feet, crouched down and ready to spring at any moment. We locked eyes. Her brilliant red eyes almost matched her hair as she looked down on me in what I took to be amusement. Ah…she was just like James. Sadistic, evil…and she never takes anything seriously.

I wasn't really in the mood to play her game.

"If you wouldn't mind moving out of the way…I'd love to go visit my dear friend Bella."

I growled at her, baring my teeth in as menacing a manner as I could manage. She shook her head and sighed. "I was going to save you for desert, Freya. You have such a sweet smell for a werewolf…I could hardly tell what you were the first time we met. Do you remember that?" she smiled at me. "You took me by surprise then, and barely managed to escape alive. I underestimated you last time…and I'm not going to make that mistake again." It seemed to be a warning to me- move or die.

I think I made my choice very clear by the way I tackled her. We went rolling down the mountainside uncontrollably, collecting leaves, twigs, and dirt in our hair- or in my case, fur- as we went. When we finally stopped rolling, Victoria was furious. I had, of course, gotten what I wanted- about a mile in between Victoria and her prey.

"You are going to regret your decision, Freya," she informed me, her tone icy.

I chuckled, a deep, throaty sound that seemed to say, "Hah, yeah, right!" I rolled my eyes, and crouched down again, preparing for a fight.

"This will be the last mistake you ever make, Freya Selene Beckett," she said in a mocking tone.

Beckett? The mention of my mother's maiden name struck my very core. Like everyone else in my family, thinking about my mom really kind of ticked me off. I mean…what kind of woman leaves her husband and two children because her daughter happens to change into a giant golden retriever? She was gone- long gone- and I dearly hoped she was never coming back. Victoria had some nerve to be calling me that name now. I flew at her, teeth bared, with a fury so white-hot I was beginning to see everything in red.

I wasn't the strongest wolf. I wasn't the best at fighting, either. I was fast, and I was sneaky- that's about it. So, yeah. Maybe taking on Victoria all on my lonesome was a mistake. Maybe she was right…and maybe I _wouldn't_ come out of this fight alive.

One thing was for certain. There was no way I was going to go down without taking Victoria down with me.

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**Well then! Wasn't that an adventure;) **

**Thanks again for sticking with this story everybody! I really appreciate it. Seriously. It makes my heart all warm and fuzzy to know that people are reading what I write:) Getting a review is like putting on my softest, most fuzzy sweater in the middle of a blizzard in the winter. It's that awesome. So thanks:) You guys are amazing!**

**Penny for your thoughts?;)**


	21. Losing A Fight I Wasn't Supposed to Win

**Disclaimer: You know that book? Twilight? The one this story is based off of? While I do, in fact, own my own copy of this book, it is not actually my work. It's Stephanie Meyer's. :) **

**Thanks to everybody who reviewed chapter 20 :) Seeing all those reviews totally made my week. Thanks so much!**

**I really hope you like this chapter. I know a lot of people have been really looking forward to the fight scene...I really do hope this meets your expectations. You guys are amazing! **

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter Twenty-One**

**Jake's POV**

"Will you stop that!"

Owen was screaming at me as I dug my teeth into his arm. I guess I could understand his discomfort- being ripped to shreds by a werewolf such as myself probably wasn't the most comfortable way to go, after all. I growled a little as he kept struggling. He was making it very difficult to do my job, which was starting to really annoy me. At last, I managed to remove his arm with a satisfying ripping sound, and tossed it away.

"Seriously, Jake! I don't want to fight you! I need to talk to you!" He kept yelling at me, trying to get me to believe all this crap about needing to talk to me. I eyed him warily. What was he after? He shows up here, and Victoria orders him to kill me… instead, he confesses his love for my soon-to-be-girlfriend (if everything goes my way like I'm hoping it will) and then doesn't want to fight me. Not only does he not want to fight, but he wants to _talk?_ Isn't it a little late to approach this situation diplomatically?

"I'm not going to turn around and kill you or anything, Jake," Owen sighed. "In fact…when we're done talking, you can kill me. Go phase- I'll wait right here."

I still didn't trust him. What was with this guy? I growled again, just to try and get my point across.

"Look!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air and seeming exasperated. I hoped dearly that this was my doing. "It's about Freya! She's in trouble! If you trust me and phase like a good little dog, we might be able to help her out!"

Freya….. in trouble?

She was supposed to stay at Emily's house…an order she'd obviously disobeyed. Just as I'd known she would. But no…I'd been too selfish, hiding up in my little hole with Bella, to go do something about it- to keep her safe. Now she was running around the forest looking for me while Victoria tracked her down.

Growling some more, I phased and changed quickly, then roughly grabbed Owen's shoulder to turn him around so that he was facing me. "Freya was supposed to stay on the reservation," I told him. "Emily would have told us if she'd escaped. Collin and Brady would have stopped her." Wishful thinking, of course. We didn't call her Calypso for nothing, the sneaky little twit.

"_Obviously_, they didn't," he replied as if it were, in fact, the most obvious thing in the world. "Listen. All of this was a trick. Victoria brought the army together to try and get to Bella. She knows how to get to your camp. She's probably already there. After she kills Bella, she's coming after Freya…and then you, once she finds out I didn't do my job. Not necessarily in that order, of course, but still. You guys are in some serious trouble."

"Of course!" I shouted, banging my fist against the nearest tree in rage, causing it to shudder. All the signs had been there. The vampire army…it had been so…so obvious. They'd dropped hint after hint after hint…and we ate it right up. And now Victoria was after Freya. "God, how could we have been so stupid!"

"Calm down!" Owen ordered his voice authoritative. "If she hears us, we'll both be dead long before Freya."

"We're going to have to kill Victoria," I decided, my jaw set. "Otherwise, she'll just run away again."

"And she'll keep coming back until they're both dead," Owen nodded. "She's told me more than once."

"Why does she trust you?" I inquired curiously. "How did all this happen to you?"

"When I saw Freya phase in the forest, that first time Victoria and Freya had fought," he explained, "I knew about the werewolves. I was kind of freaked out, and I didn't pay much attention to where I was going. The forest is really dark at night, and I couldn't see anything. I don't know my way around here like you all seem to. It was only too easy for Victoria to catch me in the woods and bite me." He shuddered, as if the memory were still fresh in his mind.

"Victoria changed you?" I scoffed.

Owen just nodded, and continued on with his rushed explanation. "She seemed to come out of nowhere. I was…unprepared. The next three days were absolute hell. Sure, the speed and senses and everything are cool…but they come at a price." He sighed, running his hands through his coppery hair. "When Victoria told me about her plan to kill Bella, and then later added Freya to her hit list…I did what I could to gain her trust. I was the one who told her that there would be werewolves waiting for the army when we got to Forks. I also volunteered for the job of killing you."

"So that you could talk me into helping you kill her," I nodded. It all made so much sense now. "I get it."

"Good," he nodded. "Now, let's get out of here!"

With that, we were off. Faster than lightning, we raced through the trees toward the camp I'd left only half an hour or so before. All I could do was pray to God that I wasn't too late.

"Do you even know where we're going?" I shouted above the wind that was rustling in our ears, forgetting that I didn't need to shout around Owen, since he was a vampire now.

"No," he admitted. "I'm following your scent up the mountain. If you'd rather lead the way, go ahead."

"Sure," I nodded, taking my place in front of Owen to lead him to our camp.

When we arrived, I was surprised to find the place deserted. The tent had been packed up, and Bella and Edward were nowhere to be found. I couldn't find Seth, either. I scanned the campsite quickly, looking for some kind of a note. At last, I found it- the corner of a small white piece of paper fluttering gently in the wind, being held down by a large rock.

I lifted up the rock and read the tiny, neat calligraphy. Edward really should have written a little bigger or at least left behind a microscope or magnifying glass or_ something. _But no- he had to assume that everyone could read his horrible handwriting. I mean, it wasn't a problem for me or the other wolves, but what if he had been writing a letter to a human? It would have taken Charlie hours to read the letter Edward had left for me.

_Jacob, _

_I figured you would end up here eventually, looking for Freya. You always seem to be thinking about her. Not that I've been listening all that intently- your thoughts are so repetitive, it gets tiring for me to listen to. "I wonder what Freya's doing tonight?" "I hope Freya didn't do something stupid again." "I wish Freya were here right now." Listening to this all night and all morning was, quite frankly, annoying…although I'm sure Bella would think it was sweet. _

_Well…Bella and I took Seth and left. Freya showed up just a minute ago and explained everything. It's all a trick, Jacob. Victoria's set us up and we fell for it. I'm taking Bella up to Alaska, to visit my friends there. She will, I assure you, be quite safe from Victoria until you and your kind deal with her. _

_I'm not sure where Freya is now. Last I saw her; she had tackled the red-headed vampire in question and was rolling down the mountain. The scent should be easy enough for you to follow, even with your primitive sense of smell. _

"Primitive sense of smell? What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I muttered, flipping over the paper with my heart racing at about a mile a minute. All I wanted to do was follow the trail, and come racing to Freya's rescue…but I couldn't. I needed to read the last of Edward's letter, to get all the information.

_You might want to hurry. I know that Freya's tough- probably the toughest in the pack- but she won't last too long by herself against a monster like Victoria. Try to keep her from getting herself killed, will you? She's the one werewolf I can actually stand to be around. _

_Wishing you all the best of luck,_

_Edward Cullen_

I snorted as I ripped the letter into tiny shreds- it would be dangerous in the wrong hands- hardly able to believe the fact that Edward actually liked one of our pack. Naturally, it would be Clip. She was just one of those people that it's really hard to dislike.

"Are you coming?" I asked Owen when the letter was ripped beyond recognition, the small pieces scattering in the light breeze.

Owen looked unsure. "I'm not sure…I don't want her to see me. Like this," he added, gesturing to the way the skin on his wrist was sparkling, having been exposed to a small strip of sunlight. "The last time we went out, I think I might have scared her off a little. The last thing I want is to freak her out even more."

"Trust me, Owen," I sighed, not liking the way he spoke about them going out…it was as if he assumed they would be doing so again in the future. "Clip is not the kind of girl who judges people on that sort of thing. People have been judging her for most of her life. When she was a kid, she had braces. Her father worked as a janitor at our middle school for a time before he began teaching. When she became a wolf, she was so much smaller than the rest of us. She knows what it's like to be judged based on what you or the people you care about are. Clip doesn't care if you're a werewolf, vampire, or human. She won't distinguish between Owen the Human and Owen the Vampire. To her…you're just Owen." I finished my little speech with a sigh, my admiration for the girl growing once again.

Owen nodded, seeming encouraged by my speech. "Of course. Clip's never been judgmental. Let's get a move on." With that, we high-tailed it out of camp so fast that all any bystander would have seen is a blur of color. Frankly, I was in a hurry.

After all, I did have a damsel in distress to save.

**Freya's POV**

"Are you sure you want to do this, child?" the red-head's smooth voice questioned me as I leaned back on my haunches and prepared to pounce. "You remember last time, don't you? How you only escaped with your life because I _let you go?"_ She took care to emphasize this last part, as if trying to make it very clear that she was far more dangerous that I was.

Sure…and the Kansas City Royals are going to win the Super Bowl next year.

I bared my teeth and growled, making myself look about as menacing as I was able. What was this lady's problem? Edward goes and rips up her hubby…so she raises an army in the middle of Seattle, marches them halfway across the state, leads them to a clearing where they are certain to be killed…

All so that she can get her hands around Bella's neck. And, I suppose, mine. Some people took revenge way too seriously.

"As you can tell," she smiled at me, her teeth glinting dangerously, "I am a very generous woman. We can end it all right here, right now. Just a twist of my wrists, and it's all over." She pantomimed twisting her hands around, much the way one would do to a chicken an hour or so before dinner. "Or," she continued when I failed to respond, "we can do this the hard way, which would, by the way, include a much less merciful and much, much more painful death."

_Oh, bring it _on! I growled at her.

She sighed, cracking her knuckles out in front of her. "Have it your way then," she shrugged, right before she pounced.

Sure, the suddenness of her attack was a bit surprising, but I'd had my legs tightened back behind me and ready to spring forward at a moment's notice. I pushed off the ground with my back legs as hard as I could, and sent myself flying. I connected my claws with Victoria's face in mid-air, and began making swipes at her neck. She howled when one of the swipes connected, resulting in a large gash on her pale neck.

She grabbed me by the fur around my neck and tossed me off to the side, right into a tree, before twisting- extraordinarily cat-like- in mid-air to land gracefully on her heels.

Victoria didn't give me time to recover from my impact with the tree. She went straight for my throat, just as I had done to her, using one of her long, rock-hard fingernails to make a gash on my own neck.

"There," she smiled sweetly, licking her blood-dripped nail the way I had done on more than one occasion when I'd gone a bit crazy with the Cheetos. It was disgusting. "Now we're even," she concluded.

I shook my fur out, as if I could shake away the sting that was coming from the spot on my neck she'd sliced. Was it just me, or did I see blood spattering the trees? I wanted to puke- this had to be the most sadistic vampire I'd ever come across in my entire life. However, I knew that if I had actually puked like I'd wanted to, Victoria would just laugh, and then take advantage of my weakness to go ahead and kill me.

No. This was not a time for weakness. This was a time for _strength. _I had to be strong if I was going to beat this vampire. I squared my shoulders, narrowed my eyes in concentration. I began to hear a low, guttural growl. It took me a moment before I realized that it was coming from me. I could feel the growl vibrating, down in the back of my throat. I could feel this growl begin to grow as Victoria inched her way closer.

I took a moment to think about Victoria. She and her kind had ruined everything for me. Before the vampires showed up, I was just a regular teenage girl. I had friends, a family who loved me. I was getting straight- A's in school- even in Calculus. All my teachers believed I was a shoo-in for some major scholarship to an Ivy League school. I could have been whatever I wanted to be…now, I would probably never even get to go to college.

She and the vampires had taken my family from me. They'd made my father into a werewolf. They'd bitten him, so that he could no longer be a werewolf. They'd made me into a monster, as well, which had driven my mother to leave me. Vampires were the reason my mother was gone, and the reason my father had become so distant. They were the reason Riff had finally decided to grow up and get a job. They were the reason I hardly ever got to see him anymore.

Being a werewolf had changed everything for me, my past, my present, my future. I knew from my experience with Owen that I would probably never marry. I would be forever afraid of imprinting. I'd seen what happened with Sam and Leah. Happy as clams one day- their love for each other had been so incredibly strong when they were in high school. Next thing we knew, Sam was with Emily, and Leah seemed to be allergic to smiles.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that being a werewolf had _ruined _my _life_. I'd had everything going for me, and I'd worked hard for everything I'd gotten. As soon as I'd transformed that first time, all my hard work went out the window. None of it mattered. Because all my good grades, friends, and reputation I'd worked so hard for? All of that was training- training for a world that I was never going to get to be a part of.

Werewolves and vampires, we didn't get to be a part of the normal, human world. We had to be on the outside. The two species were constantly fighting, always at war with each other. While we fought, we did our best to keep our existence from becoming known. Humans were so fragile. Not only were they physically weak, but mentally as well. Werewolves were meant to protect them. All I'd done for the past year and a half was protecting the humans.

Yet I could never _be_ human. I'd had my chance to be human, to live in that world. Now it was my duty to protect that world. To protect it from the very things who had kicked me out in the first place.

Yes…there were some good vampires out there. The Cullen's were living proof of that. But overall, the vampire species was not good. They were parasites, forever living off the lives of others. Vampires fed off the blood of others to keep themselves alive.

What a depressing way to live.

At least I, as a werewolf, got to keep my humanity. I didn't go crazy whenever I smelled blood. When I turned wolf, I got to keep my head firmly on my shoulders. Vampires didn't necessarily get that luxury. I'd seen a vampire on blood frenzy before, and it wasn't pretty. Their eyes had the same empty expression my father had adopted when he'd attacked me. In fact, now that I thought about it, he was probably having a similar type of experience to what the vampires went through.

So yeah, I concluded. Being a werewolf kind of sucked. I'd given up so much to be what I'd become…but it could always be worse. Nobody could say that I wasn't good at what I did- at what I was. I'd managed to concoct this plan- this crazy, brilliant plan that was absolutely fool-proof and was certain to save the lives of just about everyone I cared about. Not only that, but I'd managed to keep just about everybody in the dark about it. I had finally earned the name of Calypso, and had finally learned to bear it with pride.

Which brought me back to my current situation, so here I was, circling this vampire who had pretty much destroyed my life. And I felt…sorry for her? Yes…I recognized the feeling of sympathy as it coursed through me. I suppose I could see where she was coming from. I mean…someone she loved had been taken from her. I knew how that felt, didn't I? I'd lost my mother, when she left…and then Jacob, when he'd chosen Bella over me. I'd been angry both times, and had gotten revenge in the best ways that I'd been able.

So really, Victoria and I weren't that different. Only, she was prepared to kill to get her revenge. I wasn't quite that daring, didn't posses the same cruel brutality. I killed because I had to. I killed because if I didn't, someone I loved was going to die instead. Frankly, Bella's life, Jakes life…my life, even, all ranked much higher on my list of priorities than the life of this vampire. Just because I understood her, even pitied her, did not mean I was going to let her off easy.

No. I had a job to do, a family to protect. And I was going to do just that until my dying day. Whether that day was today, tomorrow, or fifty years from now, I had no idea. But there was no way in hell that I was going to let Victoria get past me again.

At last, with a mighty roar, I launched myself at the vampire one more time.

I attacked with a force that surprised even me. Victoria and I were both knocked off our feet, and I heard a sickening crack as her head slammed up against the tree. I brought my teeth to her arm and pulled. RIIP! There went one arm. She screamed, kicking me hard as she picked up her arm and allowed it to reattach itself.

No fair. Once you ripped the arm off a werewolf, there was no getting it back on.

I can't even count how many times Victoria got a swipe in at me. I had cuts and bruises and probably even a couple broken bones all over my body, but I was running on adrenaline and instinct now. Pain was the least of my worries right now. I was more concerned with Victoria, and the way she was flying at me yet again.

Again and again, she flew at me. Again and again I managed to barely doge her. It was like some kind of messed up ballet. We were dancing around each other, going faster and faster the longer we were at it. Even I, the conditioned werewolf girl with abs of steel, was panting. My legs were on fire, and my lungs felt as if they were about to pop. But I had to keep moving. Because Victoria wasn't going to get tired, and if I stopped moving…I was dead.

At last, the dance ended.

I'd taken one wrong step- just one step to the left when I should have gone right. Victoria took the opportunity to take a jab at the kink in my armor. She caught me by the back legs, laughing madly, and broke them like twigs.

If I'd been human, I would have screamed.

As it was, I let out a long, pained howl. It was the cry of help- the one we only used in a terrible emergency. I'd say that this was an emergency.

"Oh, shut up," she snapped at me. "You could have saved us both a lot of time and trouble if you'd just let me kill you in the first place."

I glared at her, panting still and trying not to move too much. I knew I had to get up, run away- to escape. But I couldn't. The pain in my back legs was so terrible, so immense…I almost welcomed death…

But not quite.

She stepped closer to me, her face coming into my view. "You are quite pretty, you know," she sighed, brushing a strand of curly hair behind her ear. "If only you were one of my kind, instead of theirs. We could be great friends, you and I…we aren't so different."

I looked at her in surprise. Had she been reading my thoughts earlier? Had she, too, seen the similarities between us? Surly not. If she had, she would have seen the differences also, and thus known that we could never, ever be friends.

She chuckled. "Yes…you see it too. We've both lost a loved one, haven't we? and too little Isabella, no less!" Victoria threw her shoulders back in a hearty laugh at the irony of the situation. "But yet you protect her," she sighed, sobering up a little. "Why?" she wondered.

_Because I actually have a life outside of plotting revenge,_ I muttered to myself, wincing as another shot of pain traced its way up my spine.

"Hmm," she mused. "I suppose…well. I did make a promise, didn't I?' she sighed. "How would dear Owen feel about my leadership if I didn't follow through?"

I flinched at the name. Owen. My friend…turned vampire. I hoped he was doing ok. The thought of Owen's once beautiful, sea-green eyes turned ruby red brought the anger back. My strength renewed, I took a snap at Victoria's ankle. I wrapped my teeth around her, and sank down.

"Ah!" she screeched, trying to shake me off. I, being the stubborn little twit that I am, refused to let go. At last, she swung her leg up in a mighty kick, which sent me flying up against the tree. My head hit the ground with a bang.

I saw stars.

I always thought that was the kind of thing that only happened in cartoons…but I literally saw little stars floating above me. They were pretty…bright, white light shining down from an ocean of black. It would have been only too easy to lose myself in the light.

But didn't they always say to stay _away_ from the light?

I groaned. My head was pounding, my muscles were still on fire, and I was fairly certain that I was about to die. The only comfort I had was that I'd seemed to have lost all feeling in my legs. So at least that was one thing that didn't hurt.

"Giving up, are we?" Victoria chuckled. "About time. I knew you were a feisty one, but I was hoping you'd come to your senses a little sooner…I'm going to have a scar on my ankle, thanks to you," she pouted pathetically.

She really wasn't stable, was she?

She knelt in the grass next to me, her cold breath tickling my skin. "You're going to die, Freya," she whispered sadistically in my ear, her teeth inches above my skin. "I can't stand the taste of werewolf blood," she continued, "but I will endure it long enough to bite you. And then I will watch you die."

_You are really sick,_ I growled at her. Of course, all she got was the growl…she howled with laughter, plunging her teeth into my neck.

I could feel my form melting, shifting into my human self. I could feel Victoria's razor sharp teeth buried in the muscle in my neck- could feel it all too well when she bit down even harder. Victoria seemed to enjoy my blood even more than she had anticipated. I could tell that she was finding it hard to let go, to remove her teeth and stop drinking.

What little strength I'd had left was draining away. I felt dizzy, light-headed, and sick. I wanted so badly for her to stop…especially once the venom started to make its way into my neck. It burned so badly…it was as if someone had set me on fire. I just wanted it to end.

Why, oh dear God why, couldn't it just end already?

My thoughts weren't coherent. I know that you always hear about people's lives flashing before their eyes right before they die…and I imagine it's something everybody looks forward to. It gives you a chance to stand back and go, huh. Maybe I have made a difference in this world.

I didn't get this luxury. My thoughts were a tangled blur and swirl of color, light, sound. Events I didn't remember and faces I couldn't recognize swam before me, making the ache in my head even stronger. Now, I was wishing for death. There was nothing else I could do- my body was broken beyond repair, and my mind seemed to have finally cracked, as well. There was nothing I could do to save them…

My family.

Jake.

I saw his face in my mind's eye. I remembered his dark eyes, killer smile, and the way his hair always seemed to be in his face. I felt his lips, soft on mine, and suddenly, I was in heaven.

Or maybe it was Hell. Being in so much pain…not only the physical and mental pain, but there was also an intense emotional pain that came from knowing that I would never get the chance to tell Jake I loved him. God, how I loved him…I really hoped Emily found the letter. That way, she could tell him for me, since it didn't look like I was going to make it.

The burning in my neck was gone now. I couldn't feel anything, actually…so I suppose the venom had done its work. It had made its way through my body, paralyzing me. I only had a few precious moments left. There was no saving me. Not this time. My time was up.

I noticed then that the stars were back. They were burning brightly, pulsating almost, beckoning me to join them. I wasn't particularly eager…but I knew that there were some things you just couldn't stall forever. Death was one of them.

"_Please forgive me, Jacob,"_ I thought. I knew he wouldn't like hearing that I was dead. I only hoped that he wasn't too angry with me- that he wouldn't think I'd given up without a fight.

"_I love you."_

And with that, my time as a werewolf was over.

* * *

**Ok...I know, this was a MAJOR cliffhanger. And I'm sorry. Please don't hate me! **

**I do hope you liked this chapter, despite its admittedly craptastic ending. :)**

**Just out of curiosity...What would you all say to a sequal to this story? The end is near...depressingly near. If I were to attempt a sequal, would you guys be interested? :D Again, just out of curiosity:) **

**Penny for your thoughts?;)**


	22. They Can Never Keep Me Down For Long

**Disclaimer time! **

**I don't own Twilight. I do, however, own my characters and most of the plot line for this story. :) **

**Alrighty then! I'm getting this chapter up a lot sooner than I thought I would! :) I get that this is a short chapter, and all...but I hope you enjoy it anyway:) **

* * *

**Chapter 22**

Owen and I were sprinting through the forest so fast that wind was rustling my hair, blowing it in my face. Somebody, please, remind me to get a haircut…The sound of the wind in our ears would have deafened a human, but with my heightened werewolf senses, I could hear everything Owen said with ease. Yeah- you're jealous. It's ok. Most people are.

"We've got to hurry," he reminded me once again, worry etched across his face. It was nice to know that he was worried. Cause I was totally _freaking out._ My hands were starting to shake, and I swear I had so much adrenaline running through my body that if you could pour it into a cup, it would make one nice, Adrenaline Milkshake for The Hulk and about three of his friends. Meanwhile, Owen was merely _worried_. Glad to see he loved Freya so darn much.

Did I like this guy? No- of course I didn't. In fact, he kind of annoyed the crap out of me. His way of getting my attention had been to announce that he was in love with Freya, for Heaven's sake! This had not warmed him up to me at all. However…he did seem to know what he was doing.

I had to say, the way he was handling himself was impressive. He had only been a vampire for what? A week? Already he seemed to have developed a considerable amount of self-control, and had grown accustomed to all the speed, strength, etc. that comes with turning into a bloodsucking monster.

He was a natural.

So no, I didn't like Owen. But I wouldn't choose any other vampire to fight beside. Mostly because the others- Jasper excluded- didn't know what they were doing. And frankly, Jasper's sullen silence freaked me out a little. Not to mention the way he was always playing with everyone's emotions. I swear, every time I got within a five mile radius of the guy, I felt like a 13-year-old girl.

We stopped for a moment. Not because we needed a break from the running. He didn't really need to breathe, and I was conditioned to be able to run for miles without stopping. We stopped because we'd momentarily lost the trail.

It was becoming fainter.

"This isn't a good sign," I murmured uneasily as I brushed my hand against a blood-spattered tree trunk. "In fact," I continued, "I would go as far as to say that this is a _bad_ sign."

"No kidding," Owen whistled. "Look at all of this. Freya can't be in good shape."

"She's tough," I reminded him. "She's dealt with much worse than just a few scratches."

"Hmm…we should hurry," he repeated. "Try and see if you can find the trail."

"When did I die and make you leader?" I muttered to myself, leaning over to get a better whiff of the grass. There was an oh-so faint smell of chocolate chip cookies, cinnamon, and lemon zest…which was, by the way, one of the most delicious scents I'd ever smelled on anyone- including the floral-smelling Bella. "This way!" I exclaimed, heading west, into the heart of the forest.

After we first spotted the blood, it was easy to keep track of the trail. All we had to do was follow the red stains on the foliage. It sent shivers down my spine imagining what Victoria must have done to her to have left behind all that blood…but I couldn't deny that it was an effective way of keeping to the trail. I almost had to wonder if Freya had rolled against the leaves, trees, and grass so much as a way of laying a trail for anyone looking for her.

I knew I loved that girl for a reason.

Anyway, we were running.

As we ran, I began thinking about Owen some more. I remembered the night Freya had first "imprinted" on him…they'd been involved in an innocent game of football on the beach. And Frey had, of course, had to go and tackle the biggest guy on the other team. I swear, she was such a show-off sometimes.

I remember the way she'd sat down next to me in a huff, eating that whole freaking marshmallow in one bite. It would have been normal for Paul, or Embry, or any of the others. Freya, on the other hand, seemed to have more pride than that. She actually ate like a human being, with _manners_. Naturally, I'd been a little worried when she'd thrown all her delicate mannerisms out the window.

Being the amazing friend that I am, I asked her what was up. And then she'd told me that she'd imprinted.

How ridiculous! I hardly believed her at first. Sam had said on multiple occasions that female wolves didn't imprint. It just didn't happen…but the longer I sat there next to her, the more I wondered. I mean, up until Leah had joined the pack, we hadn't thought that female wolves were even possible. It had never happened before…so we would have no way of knowing whether or not they could imprint.

I'll admit, I'd persuaded Clip into ignoring Owen for my own personal gain. I'd been freaking out about what would happen if Bella did end up choosing Edward over me, even after the whole fiasco with Edward going all suicidal on everyone. I didn't really want to be in love with a chick who didn't love me back for the rest of my life…it was kind of a depressing prospect.

So I'd told Clip to start ignoring her possible imprint. I knew that if she couldn't do it…I wouldn't be able to, either. This meant that once I imprinted, I would have a Bella-free life. Well…not Bella-free…but I wouldn't be in love with her anymore.

Of course, now I'd found a different way to fall out of love with Bella. Her name was Freya Selene Lust.

Oh, God- cheesy lines. I was so far gone, I was beginning to sound like Edward! Somebody, shoot me now, before I start spouting poetry and making little hand-made Valentine's in the middle of January.

"You said you were in love with Clip, didn't you?" I asked Owen after a few moments turning these memories around in my head.

"Yeah," he replied tightly. He didn't sound happy, did he?

"Yeah, well…so am I," I informed him. It was only fair that he knew he was helping out his competition.

"I know that," he nodded, surprising me.

I nodded in return, and then decided to shut my mouth. Owen didn't sound like he was in that great of a mood.

We started to slow as the trail got clearer. Freya had to be around here somewhere…our breathing quieted, slowing down so that it had almost stopped. The only sounds around us were the faint rustling of leaves, a soft birdsong up in a tree.

"I don't hear her," Owen sighed.

That was when we heard the howl.

It was an ear-splitting, heart-stopping, toe-curling scream, filled with pain and agony. I recognized it as a desperate version of the howl the pack used when we had gotten ourselves into sticky situations. We were all pretty buff, and most of us (cough) Paul (cough) were pretty bright, so we didn't get into trouble real deep all too often. Usually, we only used this particular kind of howl when we met a vampire in the woods without backup.

I froze. The howl sounded like Freya, although I couldn't be sure; I'd never heard her in such immense pain before. But whoever it was, they were in some real deep shit. Every single member of the pack knew that when a fellow wolf was in trouble, its brothers would always be there to lend a hand. It was one of the motto's that kept me from rolling my eyes and running off to Georgia when I'd first joined the pack. Nowhere else in the world could a person experience such a strong sense of brotherhood.

Thus, I took off in the direction of the cry, leaving Owen spluttering in surprise, eating my dust. Eventually, he caught up to me, but not before I'd frozen in shock at the edge of a large clearing.

"Oh, my God," Owen murmured when he saw the scene before us.

There was blood everywhere. It soaked the grass, had been sprayed over leaves, and wiped up against the tree trunks. It absolutely reeked of Freya in here- she had to have been half dead after losing this much blood.

"Come on, man!" I exclaimed, grabbing Owen by the shoulders and pushing him forward. Clip was in some serious trouble. She needed my help, and my God, I was going to give it to her.

We dashed across the clearing, following the trail of blood. I heard a scream- Freya, no doubt about it- and raced toward the source.

What I saw as I made my way through the trees nearly stopped me in my tracks.

What was the nightmare I was currently being faced with? How nice of you to ask. From behind the four-foot-wide tree I was presently hiding behind, I was able to catch a glimpse of Victoria, knelt over Freya's limp body, sucking her blood. Clip had been thrashing around earlier- I could tell by the pattern of blood on the grass. But now, she was unmoving.

Oh, dear God, don't let her be dead.

With a mighty roar, I launched myself at Victoria, phasing in mid-air. She didn't look up- she seemed extremely immersed in what she was doing. Her eyes were wide and vacant, seeing nothing but the source of blood in front of her. She didn't even notice when I lunged for her neck.

It was almost too easy after that. Being in the state of frenzy that I'd found her in, all Victoria wanted to do was get more blood. She kept lunging for Freya's throat, allowing me to easily lunge for hers. She was burning in a pile within minutes. And let me tell you, I had never enjoyed killing a vampire as much as I enjoyed killing Victoria.

Meanwhile, Owen was checking Clip's pulse.

"She's alive," he confirmed. "Barely. The venom's working its magic. It hasn't spread too far. I could probably get most of it out." Owen glanced at the ugly gash in Clip's neck thoughtfully. The smell of blood was affecting him hardly at all.

Freaky

It wasn't until Owen had his mouth over Freya's neck that I realized what, exactly, he'd had in mind when he'd talked about getting the venom "out". He was going to suck it out himself.

"Hey!" I roared, knocking him out of the way. "What the _hell_ do you think you're doing, Anderson? If the trail of blood we followed to get here wasn't enough of an indication, I don't think Clip can afford to lose any more blood right now!"

"I've got to get the venom out somehow!" he yelled right back at me. "Otherwise she'll die! You think I'm going to enjoy this or something? God no! If you'd rather do it, be my guest, _Black!" _

I huffed a little, but then nodded. "Hurry up and do it already, then!" I ordered. I turned my attention to Freya- the pale, pathetic creature lying naked on the grassy forest floor.

Oh, God. She _was_ naked, wasn't she?

"Give me your jacket, Owen," I ordered, glancing at the fairly new, fairly expensive Abercrombie jacket Owen had decided to wear that day.

"My grandma sent this to me!" he exclaimed, appalled. Owen could be so _prissy_ sometimes.

"Yeah? Well- you shouldn't have worn it today." I went ahead and ripped the jacket off his back, laying it gently over Clip's body, trying my hardest not to look at anything. Pride had always been important to her. She was so going to thank me for this as soon as she woke up.

That is, if she woke up.

"Hurry it up already!" I exclaimed at the enraged vampire. "She's gonna die if you don't get the venom out of her." Freaking idiot. He resumed his disgusting vampirism sucking of blood.

Was it me, or was Clip getting really, really pale?

"I'm doing my best, Jacob!" Owen replied, coming up for air…or maybe, since he didn't need air, anyway, he was just coming up to yell at me.

I knelt down on the ground next to Freya, taking one of her hands in mine. It was scarred and bloody, along with most of the rest of her body. It was killing me to see her like this. Seeing the scrapes and cuts and bruises all along her body made me so mad…I almost wished I could bring Victoria back from the dead and rip her up all over again.

With one hand, I reached up and stroked her chestnut hair. I had never been able to figure out why her wolf was golden. I mean, she was a beautiful dog- the kind I'd want to take home with me if I'd found it in the pound. When her fur wasn't tangled and bloody, that is. I still remember how surprised I had been to find her so clean at Owen's place.

"Come on, Frey," I murmured, stroking her forehead gently. "You can't just leave me like this, you know."

Ok, she was getting seriously pale now. Too pale- way, way too pale. She looked like a corpse- and ivory, bloodied up corpse. I turned to Owen, whose eyes were wide, and just a little vacant.

Crap.

"Owen!" I shouted, shaking his shoulder "Owen, man, you're killing her!"

"Can't…stop," he moaned. "Help…"

Well…when he says it like that…

I launched myself at him, grabbing him by the shoulders and propelling the both of us about five feet, into the nearest tree. He was struggling something fierce, but I held on with all my might and managed to pin him to the ground between my knees. I pushed his shoulders down with my arms and waited for him to calm down.

"Let me go!" Owen roared, twisting violently on the forest floor.

"You say you love her, but it's just a load of crap," I hissed in his ear. "Nothing more than a stupid, middle-school _crush._ If you loved her- really, _truly_ loved her, the way I do- you would never be able to hurt her. What would Freya think of you if she saw you like this- thrashing around on the ground like some 80 year old man in the middle of a seizure?"

As I went on with my speech, I saw reason return to Owen's eyes. He looked around, as if confused by his surroundings. "Wha…" he muttered. Then his eyes fell on Clip. "Oh, God," he moaned. "I almost killed her."

"No shit, Sherlock," I spat at him, getting up and pulling him hard off the ground. "Did you even get all the venom out?" I asked.

"Yes," he replied with a nod. "Most of it. There's not enough left to kill her…but it had already made its way far enough through her system that I would have had to completely drain her to get it out."

"You might as well have continued," I commented sarcastically. "I mean, you practically turned her into a raisin, as is."

"We need to get her breathing again," Owen continued, ignoring my remark, "and then get her to Carlisle. You know CPR?"

"What, you don't?"

He raised an eyebrow at me, as if daring me to play that card. "Of course I do. I figured you'd want to do it yourself…but if you don't…" he leaned over Freya's mouth. I was barely able to knock him out of the way before his lips touched hers.

"I'll do it," I said with a growl, using my best death glare- something I'd learned from Clip, actually.

He shrugged, moving out of the way.

I knelt in the bloody grass next to her, and brushed her hair out of her face and behind an ear. God, she was so beautiful…I bent my head down, and let my lips brush gently against hers. There was the faint metallic taste of blood on her lips, but there was also an indescribable sweetness there. "You're going to be fine, Freya," I whispered in her ear…not that she could hear me or anything.

I worked automatically. I hardly even recognized that I was actually giving someone CPR- the pack was always doing crazy, stupid, and dangerous stuff, so naturally I'd performed this procedure so many times I could practically do it in my sleep. With "Stayin' Alive" blaring in my head, I went on autopilot.

I didn't know what Owen was doing now. I assumed that he had gone to get help, because when I looked around briefly in between breathing and chest compressions and all that- you wouldn't even be able to believe how hard it was to focus on something other than the fact that this was _Freya._ I mean, her lips, and everything…it was almost like kissing her over and over again. Only, she was half dead and unconscious, and not kissing me back.

After a minute of CPR, I started to get really worried. She hadn't changed at all- she wasn't breathing on her own, and her heart rate was dangerously slow. I began to work with more vigor. I'd only just realized I was in love with her. There was no way on Earth that I was going to let her go now.

"Wake up," I groaned. "Come on, baby. Wake up."

I was just about to give up, to pick her up and rush her to Carlisle to see if there was anything he could do, when her eyes flickered. "Freya?" I whispered, my hand caressing her banged-up cheek. "Baby? Come on. Wake up."

"Victoria," she moaned. "She…"

"Shh," I hushed her. "Don't worry about Victoria, alright? She's gone. Don't worry about anything." I grabbed her hand and squeezed. She was alive. She was breathing, her heart rate was going back up, she could wiggle her fingers, and she was alive.

Who said miracles couldn't happen?

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**So! Freya's ALIVE! I hope you guys are all done being mad at me now:) Pretty serious stuff coming up next chapter! Thanks for sticking with this story you guys. You're all amazing:) **

**Penny for your thoughts? ;)**


	23. Unicorns and Lots of Medication

**Disclaimer: Twilight isn't mine. :) *Wasn't that a creative way of saying it? :D***

**Hey guys!**

**It's been a while, huh? I know, I know...I've been absolutely AWFUL about updating on time the past month or so. I'm sorry! Those of you who have stuck with this story for this long- thanks:) You guys are amazing!**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

**Freya's POV**

I had been expecting death, when I got into that battle with Victoria. I hadn't been expecting to come out of it alive. I'd been hoping to, yeah, but I knew that her fighting skills were a bit superior to mine. I'd mainly been trying to get her weak enough so that Jake or Paul or someone could take her out easily once they found her sucking on my blood. So, dying didn't bother me so much. I mean, I wasn't happy about it, but I'd known it was going to happen.

I never did believe in an afterlife. I mean, it was great for normal people- Riff, my mom, and my friends from school. But not for people like me. Werewolves will never die of old age while a vampire is around. In theory, a wolf could live for hundreds of years without ever seeming to get older, as long as there was a vampire living in the same area.

Since we lived such long lives…did we really deserve anything more? I never thought so. I believed that when a person was given as much time on Earth as we wolves had, they shouldn't expect anything else once their time here was finally up. From where I stood, it looked greedy to ask for anything more.

Greed just wasn't my style.

So imagine my surprise when I was swept up from the blackness and tossed into this blinding, endless_ light_. There was no substance- no wind, or sound, or color. There was only light.

I wondered…_Is this what Heaven's like?_ If so, somebody really needed to turn down the lights. I couldn't see anything past the brightness.

Something wasn't right with this picture. I mean, if this was Heaven…wasn't God supposed to be around here somewhere? Angels, pearly gates, clouds…nah, there was none of that here. I was completely alone in this bright little space of nothing. It was kind of lonely, and very depressing.

I had the overwhelming urge to see Jake again. I loved him- I was missing him like crazy. It felt like ages since I'd seen him, yet there was no real sense of time in this place I'd found myself in. Seriously. I wanted to see him again- hear his voice, feel his hand on mine, _anything_- so badly it was like an actual pain in my chest. Any second now I was going to break down crying.

Wait a second…

_Pain. _I was in pain.

There was no pain in Heaven- unless all the stories and lectures I'd gotten in church when I was little were all false. I guess Heaven's out…

Hell then?

It was possible. I mean, being separated from Jake for eternity was like my own, personal circle of Hell- my own personalized punishment. But if I were really being punished for all my sins…wouldn't there be a few spiders or snakes or something in here? Fire, brimstone, and all that?

Then where the hell (no pun intended) was I?

I tried to calm myself, to think about my situation logically. It was difficult- all of a sudden, I felt like I was trapped inside a small room, one whose walls were beginning to close in on me. It was like there wasn't enough room for me in this brightness anymore…as if I were being dragged away…

Curious, I gave in to the sensation, letting myself be pulled away from the brightness.

After the most remarkable and terrifying free-fall kind of feeling- it was like going cliff diving, only off a cliff that was 1,000 feet high instead of 100- I landed. There were voices now, and all I could see was the dark pink color of my eyelids. I took some time to listen to the voices, keeping my breathing even.

"I'm not sure, Sam. I mean…she got a lot of venom in her system. Owen was able to get rid of most of it, but it's sure to have had some kind of effect. We can't be positive about anything until she wakes up."

"But she will wake up?"

"I think she will," the first voice answered patiently. "Freya has always had a way of coming back to us, hasn't she? Give her time, give her space, and give her rest. There really isn't anything else I can do for her right now."

"Alright…fine. Thanks for coming down here, Carlisle."

"Of course, Sam. I wish you all the best of luck. Call me if anything changes."

Right about now, I was starting to regain control of some of my senses. Touch, for instance.

I felt a small shiver down my spine as I realized that a very familiar, strong and calloused hand was holding mine gently. I breathed a small sigh of contentment as I realized that it was Jake's hand that held mine. He squeezed his hand tightly around mine, bringing his fingertips up to gently brush some hair out of my face.

Jake.

I'd been wanting to be with him again so badly…and now here I was! Here he was. Holding my hand…brushing hair out of my face. Why did he seem to like me so much better when I was dead than when I was alive?

"Her heart rate's going up," Carlisle noted. I hadn't heard the door open yet- my guess was that he was just about to leave.

He was right. My heart rate was going up- way up. This was mostly due to the fact that Jake was rubbing circles on the back of my hand with his thumb.

"Edward? Is she awake?"

There it was. His voice. My melody, my harmony…heck, his voice was the whole freaking choir. I couldn't help but smile. To think that I might have never heard his voice again!

I wasn't sure if I'd been dead or not- it had felt that way, but I didn't know. All I knew was that I was completely, blissfully, and miraculously alive right _now_.

"She's awake," Edward chuckled. "Kind of. Try saying her name, Jake."

"I've tried that already," Jake sighed. His warm hand rested gently on my cheek, sending yet another wave of shaking down my spine. Since when had his touch been able to affect me so much? "Freya…come on, open your eyes. I miss you."

My name…Freya. That was me, wasn't it? Freya Selene Lust. Of course it was me- who else would it be? About the same time as I realized there was a cool, wet rag resting on my forehead, I realized that I was really, really hot.

"Her fever's over 118 degrees," Carlisle frowned. "That can't be healthy."

"Werewolf," Jake supplied, gripping my hand tighter in his.

I was beginning to feel a bit more like myself again. I was dizzy, and sick, and I felt like someone had recently tossed me inside an oven, but the pain was ok. It reminded me that by some miracle, I was still here.

I groaned, letting my eyes slit open.

"Welcome back," Jake grinned at me, his dark brown eyes glinting at me.

I rubbed the back of my stiff neck, and nearly jumped three feet in the air when I felt a cold, raised scar on the side of my throat. "What…" I felt the scar, trying to remember what could have created the peculiar crescent shape…

"Victoria," Jacob explained with a growl. "She bit you, remember?"

Suddenly, the details of our fight came rushing back. Victoria…how she'd finally beaten me, how much she'd seemed to enjoy my blood…

"Guess I tasted pretty good, huh?" I mused, noticing how…ragged the scar was. I could tell that it wasn't the work of a vampire completely in control of herself- she'd been in a frenzy, and had shredded part of my skin. That was going to be fun to explain…

"Actually, for a werewolf…you taste marvelous, Freya," Owen commented, his face appearing in my line of vision. "Are you feeling alright?"

"My neck…is really stiff," I frowned. I noticed about a million other things wrong with me, as well. Pain was shooting up my arms, legs, fingers and toes. Everything seemed to hurt- even my hair. I groaned, he sudden intensity of the pain getting to me. "This sucks," I muttered, squeezing my eyes shut.

"Yeah, I know," Jake agreed. "Carlisle…"

"I've already got her hooked up, Jacob," Carlisle nodded. For the first time I noticed a needle sticking out of a vein in my hand. It was attached to an IV…

"You're drugging me up, Carlisle?" I asked with a frown. I'd never liked drugs…they way they worked. They way they made your head all cloudy and how they made perfectly sensible people say the most ridiculous things…

"I've got the camera, Clip," Embry teased. "And Quil and I just created a YouTube account."

I groaned again- from embarrassment instead of pain this time. "You guys are so stupid sometimes," I muttered, a scowl etched across my face.

"Don't worry, Clip," Jake soothed me, rubbing the palm of my hand again. "I would never let them."

"I know," I smiled at him, relaxed by his very presence. God, he was beautiful…

Crap.

I was beginning to feel the swirly effect of the drugs in my blood. It was only a matter of time before I did or said something completely stupid that the other wolves would never let me forget until I was on my deathbed. And Jake was right there, smiling at me, holding my hand…

The pressure was enough to make a girl sick. I was already beginning to feel that distinctive swirling in my stomach…

And the next thing I knew, I'd gotten sick all over Jake's bare chest.

I sat there, looking at him in shock for a moment. I couldn't believe I'd just done that. I honestly couldn't believe it. Neither could Jake, by the way his mouth was hanging open. Cautiously, I wiped my mouth on the back of my hand. "I'm so, so sorry, Jake," I apologized, my voice inaudible.

"It's…ok," he replied. "Do you feel better?"

"Not really," I admitted. In fact, I felt worse.

"Go take a shower, Jake," Sam ordered, obviously trying not to laugh.

Jake hesitated, glancing at me, not sure if he should leave. "I'm fine," I assured him. "Embarrassed, sure…but I'm fine. Go take a shower, Jake."

He nodded, and dashed up the stairs to do just that. With his calming presence gone…I started to panic. What was going to happen to me? Would I ever be able to phase again? How angry, exactly was everyone with me for endangering myself the way I had?

I was practically hyperventilating by the time Jake returned, his hair dripping wet, dressed in a pair of baggy jeans and a hooded sweatshirt.

"Jake," I breathed, still freaking out.

"Hey, Clip…calm down," he chuckled, apparently finding me to be amusing. "I'm right here. Ok?"

I nodded. "Don't leave," I ordered.

"I won't."

"Ever," I elaborated.

"I won't leave," he repeated.

"I'm serious," I continued. "Don't you ever leave me."

Jake just squeezed my hand and placed a gentle kiss on my forehead. "I'm not going anywhere, Freya. I promise."

I nodded, finally satisfied, and allowed myself to drift off into what I deeply suspected to be a drug induced sleep.

* * *

**Jake's POV**

Freya was really starting to worry me. She…she didn't seem like herself. She was weak, and frail, and sick. She'd puked all over me, for Heaven's sake! Clip had way too much pride to ever let herself do something like that. And then, when her fever suddenly skyrocketed to nearly 120 degrees…her heart was racing at over 200 beats per minute, and her wounds suddenly stopped bleeding. The scar on her neck became more and more prominent, sparkling slightly when a flashlight passed over it.

She was becoming a vampire.

I hadn't known that could happen to a werewolf. I'd always assumed that if a werewolf were bitten by a vampire, the wolf would die. Just drop over, dead. Freya's survival had been a pleasant surprise, to be sure, but a surprise none the less. Now, it looked as if she would never be the same as she'd been before Victoria.

Of course, it didn't matter too much to me whether she was a werewolf or a vampire or whatever. She would always be Freya- my Freya, if she'd have me. I'd always love her, no matter who, or what, she was. She could be a Democrat for all I cared. I'd be a bit disappointed in her knowledge of politics, but she was still my best friend.

I'm not going to lie and say that everyone in the room sat around her spot on the couch and bit their fingernails, worrying if she was going to make it or not. Carlisle was certain that she would be fine. Apparently, the venom affects everyone just a little differently…so the likelihood that Clip will end up being unable to phase like her father had been isn't very good. Chances are, she'd be even faster and stronger than she'd been before Victoria bit her.

No…we weren't really that worried about her. She needed the drugs Carlisle was pumping into her, sure, but not for much longer.

We all decided to enjoy the spectacle while we were able to.

If you've ever seen someone drugged up on painkillers- maybe laughing gas at the dentist, or something- you know what I'm talking about. If not…I highly suggest hanging out with someone who has recently had their wisdom teeth pulled. Listening to Freya talk in her sleep while all drugged up was possibly the funniest thing I'd ever seen.

"Hey, Freya," Paul called from across the room. "Wake up!"

"Five more minutes," Freya groaned, pulling the pillow tighter over her head.

"You've got to go to school," Embry added, snickering to himself.

"Shut up and let me sleep, or I'm going to send an army of unicorns after you. And puppies. Puppies riding unicorns…through a field of flowers…on a Wednesday…"

She mumbled for a while, talking in gibberish that none of us could understand. At one point, she began to serenade us. There were times when she'd start talking, and I really wouldn't have any idea what she was talking about. ("No! Not the purple ones! They make the best beef tacos!")

Eventually, the guys discovered that if you asked her a question, she would answer you.

"What's your favorite color?"

"I don't play favorites," Freya mumbled in response to Jared's question.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" Embry asked.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" she countered. Everyone in the room laughed like crazy at the blush that colored Embry's cheeks. See? This is why I loved Clip so much. Even in her sleep, she never let anybody get the best of her.

They continued to ask ridiculous questions, holding competitions to see who could get the most amusing answers. I put up with it for a while. They were being jerks, yeah…but they didn't mean anything by it, so I let it slide.

But then Paul decided to be all clever and tell Freya a "Your Mom" joke.

Of course, at the mention of the word "mom", Freya bursts into tears, burying her face in her hands.

"That's it," I growled at my fellow wolves. "Cut it out, all of you."

"Aw, come on, Jake, have some fun," Jared chuckled.

"You can't take advantage of her like this," I glared at them. "She's sick. Just…leave her alone. She's got enough to deal with without having to sit around and put up with your comments about all the crap she said while she was asleep."

"Someone's defensive," Paul sneered. "Got yourself a little crush, do we?"

"Shut up, Paul," I growled at him. "If you're all going to be such jackasses, get the hell out of here."

"You can't kick me out!" Paul laughed. "Not your house!"

"Get out of here, Paul," Sam ordered. "Grow up. Then you can come back."

Paul grumbled, cracking his knuckles and glaring at me as he stood up and walked to the back door. He managed a nice, loud BANG of a slam on his way out that had Freya jumping about a foot in the air, tears fresh in her eyes.

"Shh," I comforted her, letting her cling desperately to my jacket. "It's just Paul, Clip."

"He scared me," she whispered, not showing her face. "He scared me so much, Jacob."

"I know," I sighed. "He's gone now, Freya. Go back to sleep."

She did as I said…her hands limply gripping the front of my shirt.

As I watched her, lying there, sleeping so peacefully…I didn't know what to do. I'd been so sure, during the battle, that as soon as she woke up, I'd tell her how much I loved her. But now…I just couldn't. I couldn't do that to her. She had enough pressure in her life right now. I mean, her mom had just left last year- even Clip couldn't get over that in just a year- and she'd almost _died_ yesterday. Well…she had died, for a moment or two, before Carlisle came in and saved the day with his expensive medical equipment.

Now she was fine, and everybody would be expecting her to go back to normal. Of course, this would probably never happen. When someone goes through something like a near-death experience…their whole outlook on life can change. I didn't know if she was going to be all "Oh, look at the bright side of life! You never know how much time you've got left!" or if she'd take a different approach. It was anybody's guess.

But right now, she was clinging to my jacket so helplessly, she reminded me of a small child. Like Claire, Quil's imprint- helpless, vulnerable, and defenseless. Seeing her like that scared the living crap out of me.

"That's it," I muttered, brushing the hair out of her eyes. "Guys, it's time to go." I turned to the pack, which was gathered around Emily's couch, staring at their sister with worried looks plastered across their faces.

"Jake's right," Sam agreed. "Give Freya some space, guys. We'll call you tomorrow if she's up to seeing anyone. Jared and Quil, do me a favor and take Jake and Freya's shifts tonight, will you?"

They nodded, and led the pack out the front door, taking care to close the door behind them gently so as not to wake Freya up again.

"I'm going to leave you two alone," Sam informed me, resting a hand on my shoulder.

"Thanks," I mumbled distractedly, watching the way sweat was rolling down her forehead from under the wet rag Emily had placed there to cool her off.

Sam's hand gripped my shoulder tighter, trying to comfort me. "She's going to be fine, Jacob," he reminded me. "You saved her, remember? She's going to be fine."

I met his eyes briefly and nodded before returning my gaze to Freya's face.

Even when she slept, she was absolutely beautiful.

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**Freya's POV**

Emily- bless her- must have kicked the pack out of the house, because they were gone by the time I finally woke up again. She got me cleaned up, and she and Jake took me upstairs to the guest bedroom. Emily had me lay down in bed with a bucket nearby, ordering me to rest. It was almost too easy to follow her orders. My eyelids had been drooping since the moment I'd woken up.

I don't know how long I was stuck in my bed. I didn't really get hungry or thirsty or anything- although I got sick several times. I wondered if I'd caught some kind of flu or something…swine flu had been making its way about town lately. But the odds of that happening right after my wonderful little reunion with Victoria were slim. I figured it was something to do with being bitten.

Emily seemed to be my main caretaker. I mean, Jake was there, too…but mostly he just held my hand, every once in a while asking me how I was feeling, or reminding me of one of the millions of funny moments we'd shared in our years of friendship. Emily wouldn't really talk to me- she just handed me my food and washed out my bucket and replaced my many bandages in silence. Of course, I was so delirious and drugged up that I didn't notice that she was giving me the cold shoulder.

By the time Carlisle had deemed me fit enough to be taken off the drugs, Emily's silence became all too clear. She was bent over my ankle, removing the gauze so that she could clean out the cuts one more time, when I realized that she hadn't said one word to me since I'd woken up.

"Emily?" I whispered tentatively.

She looked at me- again, not speaking.

"I'm sorry," I apologized, too ashamed at my actions to meet her eyes. "I know I shouldn't have left without telling you. I knew that you were worried enough about everyone else, and it killed me to leave the way I did…but I had to. If I hadn't…" I sniffed, wiping away the tears that had come to my eyes. God, I was such an emotional wreck lately! "If I hadn't left, Victoria would have won. I couldn't let her win, Emily."

Emily heaved a heavy sigh, running her thin fingers through her hair before finally looking up at me. "I know why you did it, Freya," she admitted. "I understand why. I just…I was so scared, when I found that note. It sounded like…like you were saying goodbye."

There were tears in her eyes, too, as she dropped the gauze at my feat and rushed over to the head of the bed to wrap her arms around my. "Don't you dare try anything like that again, Freya Selene," she sniffed, brushing the hair out of my face madly, as if touching my face were convincing her that I was still here.

"I won't," I promised. "I'm sorry."

"I love you so much," she reminded me. "If I were ever to have a daughter of my own…I would hope that she would be just like you."

"I love you, too, Em," I smiled.

Finally, something in my life that didn't completely and totally suck.

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**There it is everybody! Chapter 23! I'm not positive, but I think it's getting real close to the end of the story now...and if all my evil plans work out like I hope they will, you guys might be in for a bit of a surprise next chapter;) **

**Penny for your thoughts?;)**


	24. As If I'm Not Enought of a Freak

**Disclaimer: While I do own copies of all the books in the Twilight series- and the first movie, although I'll admit it was a bit of a dissappointment compared to the book- I do not own the story line or any of the characters. That stroke of brilliance can be credited to the literary genius, Stephanie Meyer:) **

**Alright...so I got this updated a lot faster than I'd thought I would! Not to mention, this is one of my longer chapters so far. There's a bit of a surprise toward the end...let's see if you smart people can pick up on my clues and predict what happens before the end of the chapter. :):) If you do, I'll give you two hypothetical pennies with your review! :D:D **

**enjoy chapter 24! :):)**

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**Chapter Twenty-Four**

The next couple days…man. I don't even know how to describe the days that followed the Victoria attack. I mean, I lived, but God did it hurt. Everything hurt, all the time…and after watching the video of my time on the drugs (Thanks, Embry- I love you, too) I vowed never to let Carlisle get a needle anywhere near me ever again. I learned to live with the pain, day by day, and smile whenever someone asked if I was alright. It wouldn't be a lie for much longer- I knew I would eventually get myself back to normal. I was a werewolf, after all. It's hard to get rid of us for good.

I could feel myself growing stronger already. Wolves healed fast- it only took a couple of days for the 25 some bones that had been reported broken to heal completely. By Carlisle's estimate, I would be back on patrol in about a month. I took this to mean two weeks tops.

Yes…I was going to be fine. Better off than Victoria, anyway, who had been killed by Jake in what he made out to be an epic battle, one that I doubt even took place, sometime after I'd passed out. The battle had taken its toll on me, however. I had a lot of scars…so many more than any of the guys. This, of course, I flaunted whenever I could. They would always get jealous and stalk out of the room.

Except for Jake, of course. He never seemed to leave my side. Jacob always had been a loyal friend…but he didn't even leave my room to go out on patrol. He was having Quil pick up my patrol- he more than owed me, after all. Jake's patrol was picked up by- get this…(Insert dramatic drum roll here)…my dad. He was let in as a temporary member of the pack- just until I healed. He'd proven himself during the battle, fighting vampires with Sam and Jared and the rest. Oh, how I would have loved to have seen that! Anyway…as soon as I was healed enough to start my patrols again, Sam was putting my dad into permanent retirement.

Yup…things had changed, for sure, in the span of just a couple days. My dad was part of my pack, Jasper and I were looking more alike than ever (I'm referring to my collection of scars, of course), I no longer trusted Carlisle with a needle, and Embry finally learned how to use a computer- the video of me was becoming very popular on YouTube. Oh…and did I mention that I was slowly turning into a vampire?

Ok…not a full-out vampire. But I was starting to show some of their characteristics. For example, I could now sit next to a vampire and not feel a desperate instinctual need to rip its head off its shoulders. Not to mention, my tan skin began to take on a light sparkle when I was in the sunlight. It wasn't the diamond-y sparkle you saw on Edward and the other Cullen's- it was more like an oops-I-went-a-little-crazy-with-the-body-glitter-this-morning-and-now-it-won't-come-off kind of sparkle. According to Jake, it was "cute".

Hah. Wonderful- the boy I was in love with thought I was cute.

Speaking of Jake…he'd been weird around me ever since I woke up. He kept stroking my hair, holding my hand, calling me "baby"- I called him out on this once, to which his only response was to start muttering under his breath about how big a pain I could be. It was just…weird.

Because Jake and I were friends.

Right?

RIGHT?

Every time I noticed his weirdness, I could never ask him about it- we were never alone in a room together, it seemed. We'd been alone so many times before all this crap had happened, so I have no idea why he'd start avoiding me now…but that's what it seemed like he was doing to me. Avoiding being alone with me. Why? Why would he do that?

I had no idea.

It was really confusing, too, because like I mentioned earlier…he was totally sweet to me. He was acting just like…well, just like a boy whose girlfriend had been attacked by a vampire. The way Jake took my hand in his as soon as he entered the room, squeezing it tighter whenever the pain made me grimace…it was all way too sweet for it to be completely platonic. Don't get me wrong, I loved every minute of it. Part of me never wanted to get better, because I was afraid that he would stop paying so much attention to me when I was healed.

But then Emily would leave the room, because the oven timer was going off downstairs, and Jake would decide that she just couldn't manage without him. And when he did finally come back, he'd have Sam or Jared or sometimes even Paul in tow.

So congratulations to Mr. Jacob Black, for once again managing to confuse the crap out of me.

Other than the Jacob Ordeal, things were going pretty good. I was getting stronger and stronger every day, and it seemed as if all the people I'd ticked off had started to forgive me for running off and taking on the red-head all on my lonesome. After about four days of lying in bed, puking my guts out, I finally felt like walking around somewhere.

I pulled the covers down and away from me, and turned slowly to rest my feet on the ground. I hadn't walked in about half a week, so I was expecting to be a little shaky on my legs when I stood up. I was not, however, expecting to come crashing to the ground, hitting my head on the bedside table.

"Ouch," I muttered, rubbing the back of my head. "Great."

"Freya! Are you alright?"

Look who it was! Owen had come to see me!

"Hey, Owen," I greeted him with a grin from my place on the floor. "Join me?" I suggested, patting the carpet on my left.

He shrugged, and sat next to me. "Are you alright?" he asked me. "I heard a crash…"

"Oh…I fell over," I grinned.

Owen just chuckled, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. "So," I asked him, looking up into his eerily ruby-red eyes. "What's it like? Living in the Land of the Vampires?"

"Freya," he laughed, rolling his eyes at me. "The Cullen place is nice. Really big, really quiet…peaceful, you know? Until Emmett and Jasper start up a wrestling match…and Edward starts playing the piano, and then Rosalie and Alice start screaming about how excited they are about a new pair of shoes or whatever…" he sighed. "I don't know if I can stay there, Freya," he admitted.

Owen had decided to become a vegetarian, and had been living with the Cullen's since he'd been freed from the Wrath of Victoria. (Don't ask me what my deal is with capitalizing everything today- ask the crazy, messed up puppet master of a person who seems to feel the need to control every single aspect of my life.) Apparently, he hadn't liked the house too much.

"Where else can you go?" I wondered absently. I only knew of one other coven like Carlisle's- and that was all the way up in Alaska. I didn't want him to move to Alaska. He was my friend- I'd miss him too much.

"I don't know," he admitted. "I think I just haven't quite warmed up to it yet, is all. This time next week, you won't be able to get me away from the house. Just watch."

Another thing I'd always liked about Owen- he was always optimistic.

"I'm sure you'll learn to really love it there, Owen," I assured him.

"Hey…have you had any weird…dreams lately?" he asked, seeming more than a little freaked out.

"No…wait!" I exclaimed. "Yeah! I had the weirdest dream…the night before the big battle."

"What happened?"

"Well…it was really weird," I chuckled, running my hand through my hair. "It was actually of you. You and Victoria…the two of you were talking in some forest, about the battle…I saw you tell her that the werewolves were going to be fighting. That's how I knew Victoria would be coming after Bella at the camp."

"It's weird…people keep having dreams about me- about things that have actually happened to me. Last night Sam said he had a dream about me going over to my old house at night…"

"Do you think…that you could have a special talent?" I asked him, my eyes alight with excitement.

"What do you mean?" Owen frowned, looking confused.

"I mean…you know the way Edward can hear thoughts?" I attempted to explain. "Alice can see the future and Jasper can control emotions…that kind of thing. Do you think that you can do something like that? Controlling other people's dreams, maybe?"

"That would…be really cool," Owen admitted, a grin spreading across his face. "Like, X-Men kind of cool. You know?"

"Yeah," I grinned in agreement. "That would be awesome. I'd be jealous." This would have been totally true before I became a werewolf. Now, I figured that I was enough of a freak as is- but I didn't need to tell Owen that.

We talked and laughed for a while- which was nice. It was nice to be able to replace my last memory of Owen- you remember when he tried to totally make out with me in front of a whole movie theatre of people- with this memory. He was polite, but still fun and witty, and sweet…just like he'd been when I met him.

That's how I spent my afternoon. I forgot about my evil plans to traverse the house without Dr. Cullen's permission- something that had never really happened before. None of my other friends were quite so good at distracting me from what I wanted…although it might have been because I hadn't wanted to get up on my feet again after I'd fallen anyway.

When the sky started getting darker, and my eyes started drooping, Owen decided that it was about time for him to leave.

"You need your rest, Freya," he chuckled when I tried to drag him back down next to me. "I want you to get better as soon as possible. So get some sleep, ok?"

I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms over my chest. "I'm not tired," I argued.

"Sure you aren't," he laughed. "I'll see you later, Freya. Sleep well."

"You, too," I smiled. "Err…well, you get what I mean," I laughed when I realized my mistake. Vampires didn't need sleep.

He helped me back up into the bed- picked me up and carried me, actually- gave me a quick hug, and left the room. I noticed that Owen made sure to turn the light off and close the door behind him. Sneaky little fellow…he knew that I couldn't get up to turn the lights back on. So I supposed that there was nothing else to do but close my eyes and get a little rest.

The next morning, I decided that I wanted to give walking another try.

"Jake, come here," I ordered, holding out my arm for him to help me up. He did as I asked, and helped me to my feet. "Help me walk around a little will you?" I asked. "I'm a bit shaky on my legs…"

"Sure," Jake replied with a smile. "Of course."

He held on to my arm tightly as we walked in small circles around the room. When I was certain that I had re-mastered the technique of walking, I allowed myself to get some more rest. "God, I'm pathetic," I groaned into my pillow. I was a werewolf for crying out loud! Designed for speed, agility, power…we were not supposed to lay around in bed for five days straight after we're injured. We get up, brush it off, and move on our way.

"You're fine, Freya," he murmured, stroking my hair gently. "You're sick," he reminded me, kissing my hot forehead gently. "You'll get better soon, I promise."

The feel of his lips on my skin…maybe I was still a bit delusional, but whatever the reason, it felt absolutely wonderful. It made me want to turn my head up a bit- a couple degrees would do- and kiss him on the mouth. You don't even know how hard it was to resist that temptation.

"Stop doing that," I groaned, bringing the blanket over my head so that he would stop touching me. I'd been soaking up his idle touches and pitying attention all week, though I'd known he meant something different by it than what I took away from it all. It wasn't fair to take advantage of him like this. This needed to stop- now- before things got out of hand.

"Stop doing what?" Jake replied. I didn't need to see his face to know that he was frowning, and probably very confused.

"Stop…touching me, ok?" I snapped.

"Oh…I'm sorry, Freya," he apologized. I peeked out from my blanket to see his face- his expression was unreadable, but I thought I saw a tinge of sadness in his eyes.

"Please don't be angry with me," I begged him. "You know how I hate people touching me."

It was true- I'd never been good with that kind of thing. Hugs made me shiver- they reminded me of my mother. Handshakes…were awkward. Nobody shakes hands anymore. I nearly jump out of my seat whenever someone comes up behind me to put their hands on my shoulders, and it bugs the living crap out of my when Quil convinces me to baby sit Claire for the ten minutes he'll allow her to be without him, because she always thinks it's just SOOO funny to poke me in the ribs, over and over again.

So, no, I didn't generally like touching. However, Jake…well…Jake was different. We'd been best friends since forever ago- I was used to him touching me. We used to walk around the reservation, skipping and holding hands while singing "Follow the Yellow Brick Road" and "We're Off to See the Wizard" during our brief "Wizard of Oz" phase. Everything was different with Jake- always had been, and probably always will be.

"Yeah, I know," he chuckled. "You should have seen the look on your face that one time when Alice hugged you that night in the clearing. I thought you were going to hurl or something."

"Have you ever been hugged by a vampire?" I challenged. "It isn't pleasant."

"I wouldn't imagine that it would be," he grinned, obviously amused about something, although I couldn't tell what. Maybe he was thinking about how I'd totally beat Jasper in combat. I'd thought it was funny.

We were talking for a while after that. It was just how we used to…no awkward hand holding or hair stroking or anything else from Jake. I can't even tell you how much I've missed talking with my best friend. He was something else, Jacob Black- even when I was absolutely miserable, he could still find a way to make me smile, even laugh.

But then I'd go back to being miserable, because everything he did acted like a big slap in the face to me. It was like his every action stated, "See? This is why you love me. Too bad you can never have me." It totally sucked…yet at the same time, it was great getting to talk to him alone again. (He hadn't followed Emily out of the room this time.)

Suddenly, all of the previous rambling about my feelings kind of flew out the window as far as I was concerned. There were more important things on my mind. Take, for instance, the way my head was splitting open.

I was half expecting there to be blood, brains- the whole mess- all over the bed. I was even thinking about how hard it would be to clean the sheets…but when Jake didn't start screaming bloody murder at the sight of my exploded head, I assumed that it was- no pun intended- all in my head. It was the most massive, painful, unholy headache I'd ever had…and it didn't seem to want to go away.

I tried to be quiet, and calm…but you try having your head blown up from the inside, and see how calm you are. Jake was looking really worried…he whipped out his cell phone and dialed. I didn't pay much attention to his conversation- I was trying not to focus on anything.

It was a trick I'd learned earlier in the year, and it worked pretty well when I was a wolf. Whenever I'd injure myself on a hunt- maybe broken a bone, gotten a nasty cut on my leg- I would sort of…detach myself. I would close my eyes, and imagine I was flying. Cheesy, yes, but imagining myself away from my aching body made the ache lessen considerably. Pain was a message- it can be ignored, because it's all in your head.

That is what I was doing now. I was imagining myself flying, high over the glassy waters of the ocean, over by where the pack and I like to cliff dive. I dove down, down, down by the water. As if my fantasy needed any more cliché, I reached down and ran my fingers along the surface. It was cool, wet, and parted for my hand like butter parts for a knife.

Ahh…I could feel the pain ebbing away already. Maybe it had been a migraine or something…I didn't usually get migraines but I'd heard that they can be stress-induced, and Lord knows I've been under enough stress lately. I rubbed my temples with my hands, willing myself out of my fantasy and back into the real world.

"She isn't unconscious, is she?"

That was the first thing I heard when I decided that I was going to pay attention again. "Not yet, Carlisle," I replied with as much of a smile as I could manage. I opened my eyes, and sure enough, the golden-haired vampire with the kind smile and laugh lines around his mouth was standing over me, looking worried. "What's up?" I asked him.

He chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. "I would like to ask you the same question, Freya. According to Jake, you two were talking…and you started to scream. Care to explain?"

I frowned, feeling suddenly very puzzled. "I screamed?" I asked, looking to Jake.

"Bloody murder," he nodded. "I thought you'd seen a ghost…either that, or KU had beat K-State again." Ghosts didn't really scare me…neither did my team losing. But it sure would tick me off.

"We'll win next time around," I glared at him. He never did understand why I was a fan of one of the worst football teams in the league. I didn't really know, either…it must be something about their underdog status that keeps me rooting for them. Lord knows they need at least one fan.

"Back on topic, please," Carlisle chuckled. "What happened?"

"I…had a headache," I shrugged. "It felt…like someone had set of a bomb inside my head. It was that bad."

"That doesn't sound good, does it?" Jacob shuddered, looking to Carlisle.

Suddenly…suddenly everything changed.

"Where did she go?" Jacob exclaimed, looking around the room in a panic. Carlisle, too, looking very confused, examining the window to see if I'd escaped that way.

But…I hadn't escaped at all. I was RIGHT THERE- right where I'd been all morning- in bed, unable to walk properly for more than five minutes without falling.

"I'm right here," I called, getting really annoyed. What were they doing? Did they think I was going insane? Were they…making fun of me? None of this was making any sense. I hadn't moved…I mean, how could I? I might as well be tied to the bed for all the good trying to leave the room would have done me.

"Where are you, Freya?" Jake asked.

The blood-curling scream at the onset of yet another migraine is probably what led them in the right direction.

This one was worse than the first. I didn't know that had been possible…but the pain was like nothing I'd ever felt in my life. It was worse- ten times worse- than Victoria's venom in my veins. It was…unbearable. I didn't think I'd be able to survive this much pain.

What kind of drugs had Carlisle been giving me?

I guess they'd stopped playing their little game, because Jacob and Carlisle were holding me down on the bed while I thrashed, trying anything to escape the pain in my head. I wanted nothing more than to escape…to get away from this body and this pain. But I couldn't- how could I concentrate on flying when I was hurting this much?

Just as suddenly as it began…everything stopped.

I was lying on the bed, panting and sweating, my eyes closed and two sets of strong hands holding me down. I was embarrassed as I'd ever been- I mean, I must have looked like a two year old with that tantrum I'd just thrown.

"Freya," Jake whispered close to my ear. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I groaned. "I'm fine." Jake helped me back up into a sitting position, and he and Carlisle looked at me. Probably trying to figure out what had me thrashing around like someone who should really be put in a straight jacket.

"It's the venom," Carlisle sighed. "I can smell it on her. Owen didn't get it all out. It's not enough to kill her…but it was enough to make some changes. See the way her skin is sparkling? Her eyes…they have flecks of red. The venom has given her the power of invisibility…"

"Whoa there," I stopped him opening my eyes. I was about to protest my apparent new power…but I got distracted by the halo of pure, white light that seemed to be surrounding the good doctor's body. "You're glowing, Carlisle," I frowned.

"What are you talking about, Clip?" Jake asked, examining Carlisle. "He isn't glowing at all…I mean, he's sparkling a little, but it's a sunny day out today."

"No…no, he's glowing, alright," I frowned. Come to think of it…Jake had a bit of a glow about himself, as well. Only his was just a shade darker. It was still bright, but not the pure white of Carlisle's glow. "So are you," I pointed out. "Can't you see it?"

"I'm afraid only you can see it, Freya," Carlisle smiled. "You're quite the special one, aren't you? I wonder…what will the Volturi think when they find out about you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Part vampire…part werewolf. Two powers. Oh, yes, Aro will be very intrigued with you, Freya," Carlisle sighed. I could tell that thinking about Aro, the leader of the Vampire Kingdom or whatever they called it, made him upset. I'd heard that they'd been friends once…Carlisle had even lived with him and the two other rulers in Volterra for a while. But I guess the friendship had long since faded.

"I can't have two powers," I argued. "I'm already a werewolf. I can't be a vampire, too."

"It's not so bad," Jake chuckled. "The rest of the pack will be jealous, for sure."

It was nice of him to try and comfort me…but I wasn't listening. My mind was somewhere else…back, to a year ago. The night that my mother had decided that she'd had enough…

_Nine o'clock on a Saturday night, and Riff still wasn't home. Go figure- did he ever get home on time? He was probably out partying with Cynthia and Nate and all of them…doing something stupid, for sure. Thank God Mom and Dad had been blessed with a respectful, sweet, loving daughter like myself to balance out the wayward rule-breaking habits of my older brother. _

_I was, as usual, sitting downstairs on the couch, working on my Algebra II assignment, waiting for Riff to get home. Algebra…I really hated it sometimes. 3a+3b=1/2c…who cares? Who cares if a = 2, or 3, or 4…why can't they just say what they mean? Two plus two will always equal four, no matter how you phrase it. Algebra was just a system of confusing the teenage population. That's all there was to it. _

_I sighed, setting my pencil down and massaging my temples. I'd been working on this particular doozy of a problem for the past six minutes now. I silently cursed my teacher for assigning this 33-problem-assignment, letting myself be a bit more creative than normal. _

_My new werewolf-senses weren't helping. It had been a week since I'd first transformed, and I still wasn't quite used to the sight, speed, strength, and senses…it was overwhelming. And the pack-mind thing? I didn't think I'd ever get used to that. _

_Dad tells me that it will get better…that it will get easier. I guess I'm just going to have to trust him. He was part of the Quileute pack back in the day, after all. He didn't mention the old days very much- Mom didn't like it. But he'd given me a few pointers. I could tell that he was proud I'd picked up the werewolf gene. _

_I was just getting ready to put my entire math book through the paper shredder- one page at a time- when I heard shouting from upstairs. _

"_I just can't take it anymore, Markus!" my mother shouted. "I don't want to live like this anymore!" _

"_Marissa! Please, don't do this," my father begged. "You're my imprint." _

"_Just STOP with the imprint nonsense already, Markus!" my mother cried. "I don't want to hear about your creepy werewolf voodoo anymore! It's all I've heard about for the past twenty years. So just stop!" _

_With that, my mother comes pounding down the stairs, a suitcase in hand. She hardly glances at me as she drags the suitcase out the front door and out to her car. My father rushes down the steps after her- I'd never seen him move so quickly in my life. _

_I follow behind, hardly able to believe what's going on here. She's…leaving? _

"_Mom," I call out. She freezes, but doesn't look at me. "Mom, where are you going?" _

"_Away from here," is all she says. "I don't belong here. I never have." _

"_You belong with us, Mom," I plead, coming up and placing a hand on her shoulder. "I need you." _

"_I'm not what you need, sweetheart," she murmured. "I don't belong in this family- I just keep getting in your way. You're better off without me." _

"_That's a load of bullshit and you know it, Marissa," my father growls from behind me. "If you won't stay for me, stay for the kids." _

"_I…I can't," she whispers. "Goodbye, Markus. Goodbye, Freya." I reach out to hug her, but she shudders at my touch, and climbs into the car. _

_The next thing I know, she's driving down the street. Soon after, not even my werewolf-enhanced eyes could see the taillights. _

_She was gone- she was really gone. _

"_Is she going to come back?" I asked my father. _

"_I don't think so," he replied. "Go finish your homework." _

_Somehow, I didn't think I was going to be able to focus on Algebra after this…_

I could remember that night as clearly as if it had happened yesterday. The numbness…the denial at first that she was even gone, and the way I cried myself to sleep that night. I remember the intensity of the pain as the reality of her leaving finally hit me…

And I realized that I'd never gotten over my mother's leaving. There was still a part of me, a part so small I hardly bothered to acknowledge it, that desperately wanted and needed my mother. I still wished that she would come back…

But it was impossible now. If she thought I was a freak a year ago, I could hardly imagine what she would think of me now. So, while Jake was attempting to console me, something inside of me snapped. It didn't matter what anybody said, or how much I wished she would, my mother wasn't ever going to come back.

"You don't understand!" I exclaimed, shaking Jake's comforting hand off my shoulder and beginning to panic. "I…I'm already enough of a freak! I don't need this- I don't want it!"

And with that, I burst into tears, wanting nothing more than to go crawl in a hole and die.

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**Did anybody figure out my surprise? :) If you did, drop me a review to let me know. Heck, even if you didn't figure it out, you could leave a review saying you did...I'd still give you the extra hypothetical penny:) Because I'm just a gracious, generous person like that;)**

**Freya's new powers will be explained better in the next chapter...so keep a head's up! I should be finished with it by next Monday at the latest:) Thanks again for sticking with this story everybody:) You're all amazing!**

**Penny for your thoughts?;)**


	25. My Hero

**Disclaimer: Twilight isn't mine...however, Freya and Owen and all their other original friends are. :) **

**Short chapter alert! :)**

**This chapter is very short. I'm sorry about that...but I kind of had to end it here. I hope you'll see why when you've finished it:) Thanks again for all the reviews on my previous chapter! The whole vampire/werewolf hybrid situation I ended up creating in Freya will be interesting- I wasn't really expecting it until it happened. But I think that it could be really cool, if I work it out right...**

**Thanks again you guys! You're amazing:) **

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

After my little mental breakdown, I decided that it was best to take all my memories of my mother and lock them away, somewhere in the back of my mind where I didn't have to deal with them. I believe in health class they call this repression, or something. Whatever it was called, it made my life a whole lot easier. Not thinking about my mom gave me time to think about other things.

Such as my newfound vampire powers.

Once I got over the fact that I had become even more of a freak than I already was- I mean, I was already a character out of some horror story. What did it matter that I could turn myself invisible and see some kind of weird, bright light surrounding literally everybody I looked at? Anyway, once I got over my own freakishness…I began experimenting.

The secret to my invisibility was easy- all I had to do was think about blending in with my surroundings, and I did. Like the way a chameleon changes colors, except when I wanted to blend in with the sheets on the bed I'd been occupying for the past _week and a half_, I turned invisible, not blue.

The light I was seeing…that was a bit more confusing. At first, there seemed to be no rhyme or reason to how bright or dark the light was. I'd look out the window, and see people walking by…their lights varied from bright shades of white and cream, to dark grey. I couldn't figure out what the brightness meant…until Edward made an observation.

He had come with Bella to visit me. She'd felt awful about the Victoria incident- apparently it was "all her fault" that our friend was a sadistic monster who went a little too far to get revenge. We were talking about the boring aspects of our daily lives- apparently Officer Swan had tried to cook the night before, which had turned out to be absolutely disastrous- and as she was describing the look on the firemen's faces as she explained the situation, I was thinking about how bright the light around Bella was.

"Freya…what were you just thinking?" Edward asked with a frown.

"I was thinking about how dinosaurs became extinct," I lied, trying to keep a nice clean poker face. (Pa-pa-pa-poker face pa-pa-poker face…Alice loves this song. I've had it stuck in my head all day…which really sucks, because Little GaGa or whatever she's called kind of scares the crap out of me.)

"Very funny," Edward chuckled. "But seriously. What were you just thinking about?"

Coming off my Lady GaGa tirade, I tried to think back to what I had been thinking about a moment ago.

"Bella's light," I said at last, looking at her again. "It's really bright- almost as bright as Carlisle's."

"Are you sure?" Edward asked with a frown.

"Of course I'm sure!" I barked. (Ha ha ha….do you get it? I'm a werewolf- I _barked_. I'm just full of bad humor today!) "I think I know what I'm thinking a little better than you do, Edward."

"No…no, it's just that what I heard…" he shook his head, as if in disbelief. "You were thinking about Bella's…light. But it's almost as if you subconscious was thinking about how trustworthy she is. How likely it is that she would do something to harm you…"

"So…do you think that's what it is?" I asked. "The brightness shows the trustworthiness of a person?"

"Does that feel right to you?" he asked.

I thought about it for a moment. To my surprise, it did- it felt totally natural to be looking at Edward, be looking at his light, and judge how dangerous he was to me. So…I guess that's what it meant. So it's like I have my own radar system now…which could be pretty cool. I'll just have to find out.

After I figured out my superpowers, life became a lot more interesting- especially when Paul came to visit.

We all know that Paul has a bit of a temper. He's tried to kill someone in the pack on multiple occasions- usually it's me or Jake. It's not hard to get him worked up, and I knew that he could be pretty dangerous when he's really ticked off.

So naturally, whenever Paul entered my room, I decided to tick him off, just a little. I didn't want to make him angry enough to lose control and phase- I planned on angering him just enough to find out if Edward's theory was correct or not.

It was simple. All I had to do was use his nickname from when we were kids. "Hey, Paulie," I greeted him when he entered my room. It was the day after Edward had made his discovery, and I was itching to test his theory. "I've missed you. Where have you been?"

"Don't call me that," he snapped. "Seriously. It annoys the shit out of me."

I grinned in delight as I saw his light get just a shade darker- which pretty much confirmed my suspicions about the whole light business.

"I'm sorry, Paul," I apologized with a grin.

"Whatever," he mumbled. "Are you feeling better, kid?" he asked, bringing a plate full of delicious foods over to me.

"I'm fine," I chuckled. "The only reason I haven't ditched and gone home already is I think Emily's still kind of mad at me for sneaking out like I did. Could you tell her to stop sending me food, though?" I laughed. "I mean, I don't need to eat every hour."

"Yeah, sure," he shrugged. "Are you sure you're alright? You were pretty messed up when Sam brought you home."

"I know," I nodded with a shudder. "Victoria did a real good job on me, huh?"

"Well…you aren't dead," he pointed out. "Which means that she kind of screwed up."

"I guess," I shrugged.

We sat there in silence for a while- this whole conversation was just beginning to get a little awkward. Paul and I had never been the best of friends. I thought of every member of the pack as my brother- or, in Leah's case, sister. But Paul was like the brother that was about fifteen years older than you and out of college by the time you started high school. We weren't really close. Not nearly as close as I'd like us to be, anyway, since he pretty much just thought I was a huge pain.

"I'm glad she screwed up, Clip," Paul mumbled under his breath. "You're the most annoying little kid I've ever had to put up with, but…I don't know what we'd have done without you."

"Paul…I don't think I've ever heard you say something nice before," I gasped, tears stinging my eyes.

"Yeah…well, don't get used to it, kid," he chuckled. Paul put the plate on my lap, and wrapped his arms around me gently. "Eat the stupid food, ok? If you don't, Emily will get upset. And then she'll just cook more."

"I know," I sighed. "Thanks, Paul."

"Yeah…feel better," he ordered before walking out of the room and closing the door behind him.

I still hadn't quite gotten over the shock of having Paul actually say something devoid of sarcasm or animosity- let alone nice- so when Jake entered my sickroom and sat down at the foot of my bed, I barely even gave him a nod of acknowledgment.

"You ok?" he asked, looking more than a little worried. Normally, every time he came to see me, my face would totally light up in the most pathetic, puppy-dog kind of way…I mean, it was really embarrassing. And apparently he'd noticed.

"I'm…kind of in shock," I admitted.

"What happened?"

"Paul said something nice to me," I said in awe, still hardly able to believe the phenomenon myself. "He said something genuinely nice. I never thought I'd see the day when Paul would say something good about me."

"Did you get documentation?" Jake gasped, shocked as I was. "Do we have an official record of the incident? Because you know he's just going to deny it."

"I know…but…wow." I shook my head in disbelief, and then turned to Jacob with a grin on my face. "Hi," I greeted him. "How have you been?"

He chuckled. "I've been better. I miss you on patrol, Clip," he sighed. "I never thought I'd actually miss your singing voice."

"I told you I wasn't that bad!" I exclaimed, punching the air with my fists in excitement. "Do you know when Carlisle's going to let me go home?"

"I don't know," Jake sighed. "Soon, I hope. You look like your feeling better."

"Oh, I am," I grinned. "Really."

"You know…when we found you…" he hung his head low, as if ashamed of himself. "I thought we were too late."

"You weren't," I reminded him. I hated seeing him upset- and he was so obviously upset right now. It was tearing me apart inside. Jake was my rock; he was what I clung to when things got all out of whack. The thought of him dying was what kept me going in that fight with Victoria, even when I knew I'd end up losing. When I'd first turned werewolf…he was the one that kept me from flinging myself off a cliff. The same goes for when my mother left. Jake had kept me sane…and kept me safe. Whenever I screwed up, Jake was always there to help clean up the mess. I hated feeling like there was nothing I could do to help him in return.

"I should have known," he groaned. "I should have known that you were going to run off, that you would go looking for Victoria. I should have known, and I should have stopped you. But I didn't."

"No," I agreed. "You didn't. And now I've got all these awesome vampire powers. I bet everyone in the pack is secretly jealous now, huh?"

"Don't joke about it," Jake sighed. "Frey…I just…I'm trying to apologize. What happened to you…it's my fault. And I'm sorry."

"Jake…" I shook my head, then took his hands in mine. "Look at me, Jake," I ordered him. Slowly, he lifted his head up to look me in the eyes. "I know what you did for me, Jake. I know that you killed Victoria- ripped her right off me. I know that you allied yourself with Owen- that you let him help you save me. I know how hard that was for you to do." I squeezed his hand. I wasn't sure what Owen had done to Jake to make him hate my vampire friend so much, but he'd put aside his differences in order to help me.

"Stop it," he ordered, his eyebrows knit tightly together. "Stop making me sound like some kind of hero, Freya, ok? Because I'm not. I'm the furthest thing from a hero. Heroes keep things like this from happening."

"You are a hero," I assured him. "You're my hero, Jake."

Suddenly, I couldn't take this anymore. All the secrecy…all the lies. Pretending to feel something I wasn't feeling. Acting like all I wanted with Jake was friendship. I was sick of it. Ever since Bella showed up in Forks again, I'd taken a back seat and let her steal my best friend.

Well, that wasn't going to happen anymore. Jake was my best friend. I loved him- and he deserved to know the truth.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, and brought my lips crashing against his, hoping that everything- every lie I'd told him, everything I was feeling right then- would finally be made clear.

It only lasted a second, that kiss. For me, it was the most wonderful, amazing second of my entire life. In that second, it was just me, and Jake- the two of us, together. Nobody else but us…and I loved every second of it.

Too bad he didn't feel the same way. Jake shook his head, pushing me away with a roughness that surprised me before walking out into the hallway, shutting the door behind him.

"Jake!" I called after him. I knew that he heard me- how could he not have? But he ignored me, and kept on walking.

I couldn't believe it. I'd been sure- so sure- that he'd at least liked me a little. I mean, I hadn't expected him to declare his undying love for me or anything, but I thought maybe he'd at least enjoyed kissing me. Instead, he'd acted like I'd tried to shove a lethal dose of arsenic down his throat or something.

I'll admit- I felt hurt. I felt rejected, lonely, and hurt. I'd been so sure…so sure. But I'd been horribly, hideously wrong. My cheeks began to burn as the adrenaline wore off, and I swore I felt my heart rip in half.

He'd run away from me.

Again.

For a moment, I didn't know what to do. Did I stay in bed like a good little girl, and cry my heart out? Did I call Bella for another movie night? That's what I'd done the last time Jake had broken my heart. But…the mess we'd made was awful. Besides, I wasn't generally the kind of girl that sat around feeling sorry for herself when things didn't go her way.

No…that just wouldn't do.

I remembered those last few moments, right when I'd thought I was going to die. I remembered what I'd been feeling…how desperate I'd been to tell Jake how much I loved him. It had been my dying wish. That he'd known. He still didn't know.

I clenched my fists, gathering up all my anger, all my courage. It would take all of it to get the words out now. I got up out of bed, and hurried down the hallway after Jacob. There was no way I was going to let him get away from me again. It was time he knew. And there was not one person on this Earth that could keep me from telling him now.

Not even me- not even him.

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**Well then! That's it for chapter 25! I hope you guys liked it...and don't worry, I've already got part of chapter 26 figured out, and it's going to explain Jake's weirdness:) So don't hate him yet:D **

**Penny for your thoughts?;)**


	26. If It's Worth the Risk, Take It

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Twilight. I'm working on it though...haha;) *just kidding. Twilight belongs to Stephanie Meyer:D Brilliance can't be bought:)***

**Thanks a million to my wonderful beta, Rebecca Masen! I haven't been giving her proper recognition lately, so I'm sorry! Just know that she is amazing! Thank you so much! :)**

**Alrighty then...I know Jake's been really stupid lately, but hopefully this chapter will make things clearer:) It's really cheesy...but who doesn't love some good cheese? :) I really hope you enjoy this chapter...it is by far one of my favorites!**

**Note:**

**I am SOOOO sorry! It seems like every time I post a chapter with multiple points of view, I forget to mention whose POV it's in. I am SO sorry! I would have changed it earlier...but my computer had been confiscated. But it's back now, and I've labeled the POV changes. :)**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

**Jake's POV**

I closed the door behind me- with a little more force than necessary, I'll admit- and raced down the hall. I didn't even bother going downstairs and worry Emily; instead, I opened the window and jumped. As soon as my bare feet hit the dirt beneath the second story window, I took of running for the beach.

I was running- really, truly running, the way a werewolf was made to run. Fast, furious, powerful, and strong, my legs pulling me toward the crashing waves faster and faster. I didn't stop running until I felt the wet sand squishing between my toes. I slowed to a walk, and headed down the path that was so familiar to me from my night rounds. When I reached an old, hollow log that had been a decoration on the sands of La Push beach for as long as I could remember, I sat down, my head in my hands.

What was wrong with me? Wasn't this what I'd wanted- what I'd been waiting for? Freya…kissing me. Me- not Owen, or any of the other guys at school who I happened to know would have loved a chance to kiss her. No- she wastes her time on me. And what do I do? Oh, yeah. I go and I hurt her…again.

The last thing I wanted to do was hurt Clip. She and I…we were best friends. She was the one person in this whole world who I felt really understood me. Whenever I needed her, she seemed to just pop up, ready to give me a hand. I loved her for that- for her undying loyalty, and her bravery, and her sense of humor, and for so many other things…

But she wasn't ready for this.

Had she ever had one person in her life who hadn't abandoned her? Her mother, who couldn't take living in a family of werewolves, who had left her just when she'd needed a mother the most? The father who couldn't seem to manage to yank himself out of his depression long enough to see that his kid was growing up without him? The friends who stopped hanging out with her when she began spending more time with the pack?

The best friend who had left her alone with all these people who didn't seem to care about her while he chased a girl who never even wanted him?

My eyes squeezed shut tight, I cursed myself for putting Freya through all the crap I'd been creating this past couple months. I'd been a terrible friend. I mean…I'd spent all my time and attention on getting Bella away from Edward, hat I never stopped to think about Clip. What I was doing to her by leaving her alone with no one but her father to talk to. I suddenly understood why Clip began hanging out with Bella so often. It was because I hadn't been around.

I didn't want to do anything else to hurt her. Loving her from a distance was one thing…but a relationship? She'd been hurt so much, so often, and by so many people in this past year. Freya wasn't the same happy go-lucky girl I grew up with. She'd become more guarded, and wary. I don't think I'd ever heard her use a curse word or sarcasm before she joined the pack…although admittedly that might have to do with hearing Paul's thoughts all the time. Still…I don't know if she really trusted anybody outside her small, secluded circle of loved ones.

What if I did something to mess it up? What if, heaven forbid, I imprinted? I'd seen what happened to Leah when Sam found Emily. She'd been crushed, changed forever from the sweet girl I'd been friends with to the bitter individual that I barely even knew anymore. I didn't want Freya to end up like that. For her to be so alone.

No…I knew that Clip couldn't take another betrayal. Not right now, when her life had been turned so completely upside down. She needed someone who would be with her 100%, no doubts, no second guesses. She deserved someone like that.

And that someone wasn't necessarily me. I would forever have the possibility of imprinting hanging over me…over us. She deserved so much more than what I had to offer her. I loved her more than anything in the world…and didn't I hear it somewhere that if you love something, you're supposed to let it go?

_I'm letting you go, Freya,_ I thought. _I really do hope you find someone you deserve, someone who makes you happy._

I closed my eyes, taking deep breaths. It was stupid, for guys to cry. Pathetic, even. I wasn't about to let myself go there. I'd been injured so many times, and in so many ways- it was in the job description, for a werewolf. I'd suffered pain so intense it would make the hair on the back of anyone's neck crawl just by describing it.

But somehow, saying goodbye to Freya hurt worse than anything I'd ever experienced before.

"What the _hell_ are you doing out here, Black?"

I spun around on my wall to see none other than Paul striding toward me, his hair messy as usual, and his eyes flashing. He was, as usually, really ticked off about something.

"Paul," I nodded to him, turning my back toward him once again.

Paul sat himself down on the log next to me. "What's going on here?" he demanded. "I talked to Freya earlier; leave her alone for five minutes, and next thing I know she's trying to make a break for it out the window! What did you do?"

"How do you know it was me?" I challenged. "Maybe she's just sick of sitting around all the time. I know I would be, were I in her position."

"Stop with the excuses already, will you?" he snapped. "Something's got Clip upset. I don't like it- and I think it's you. Which means that until this is all sorted out, I don't like you."

"Look, Paul, I-"

"I don't care what's going on between the two of you," he cut me off. "I really don't. We all know you're crazy about each other…although, I never thought you'd be the one to blow _her_ off."

"I didn't blow her off," I defended myself. "I just…"

"Totally pushed her away while she was trying to kiss you. I see the difference, really, I do, Jake," he said with a roll of his eyes and quite an impressive amount of sarcasm. "I'm sure she understands that it wasn't a blow off- it was you being an ass."

"You know why I can't, Paul," I growled. "You remember how it is- always wondering if you're going to suddenly imprint on some stranger at the supermarket, or in the school hallway like Jared. I can't put her through that."

"Oh, come on!" Paul exclaimed, looking at me with a look that was almost…disgust. "You're pathetic! Are you saying that Freya isn't worth a little risk?"

"I'm not going to be the one that breaks her heart, Paul," I spat out at him. "I won't do it."

"This is why I don't get involved in this emotional crap," he muttered under his breath. "Look. I've seen the way you act around her, how she is around you. For years, I've had to sit back and watch you two. And God, have I hated it. But I'm not going to just sit here and watch you make the biggest mistake of your life, Jacob!"

"What are you talking about?"

"You'd better hurry up and explain your most recent stupid mistake, Jake. There are plenty of guys who would be happy to be in your position."

"You…"

"Yeah, so I liked Freya, back in middle school. It was a long time ago, and I'm over it. Believe me," he chuckled. "Once she joined the pack…God. Being with her, all the time, with her singing…"

"She isn't that bad of a singer," I mumbled.

"That's not my point, Jake," Paul reminded me, bringing my attention back to the present topic of conversation.

"Then what's your point?" I demanded. I was getting real tired of this. Paul, of all people, was trying to lecture me on relationships? Hah. It was laughably absurd, ludicrous. And totally hypocritical; Paul wasn't the best at making friends, after all.

"God, you are slow," he groaned. "If you don't get it by now, you never will. Freya's better off with someone else. Like her vampire friend, Owen, for instance," he smirked. "I'd love to see how that relationship works out."

"Get out of here, Paul," I growled. "Seriously."

"Fine. But if this ends badly because you're too stubborn to admit that you screwed up big time…" he shook his head, obviously exasperated. "It isn't my fault, and you can't say I didn't try."

Paul stormed off down the beach, his bare feet leaving a trail in the wet sand.

I couldn't help but think about what he'd been trying to say. I mean…about me and Freya being so obvious. Sam and the others had been cracking jokes since Clip joined the pack. I'd always thought it was because we were friends…not because she'd actually acted like she'd liked me or something. Just goes to show how much of an idiot I can be.

Paul was right about the last thing he'd said, though. There _were_ plenty of guys just dying to be in my position. Freya's quiet, powerful kind of beauty was uncommon in La Push. It made her unique…and people liked that about her. Especially the male population. If was going to do something, I needed to do it fast, before Owen or someone got to her.

One particular statement of Paul's had especially struck a cord. _"Are you saying that Freya isn't worth a little risk?"_ he'd said. A risk…that's what a relationship between me and Clip would be. A risk- a risk I wasn't sure I wanted to take. I didn't want to end up hurting her. But I suppose that it wasn't my decision to make, was it? It wasn't just my risk to take. It was hers, too…and judging by the way she'd been kissing me earlier, she was ready to take it.

Maybe I was wrong. Maybe, for once in his life, Paul was right. Lord knows I loved her enough to take a risk…if she was willing. Something was telling me that she was. I had no hope of suppressing the grin that spread across my face at the realization that I didn't have to keep myself at a distance, after all.

I could do what I'd promised myself that I would, up in the mountains. And I would, as soon as I got the chance. As soon as I got back to Freya, I was going to take her in my arms, and give her the best kiss she's ever had.

I shed my shirt, getting ready to phase. The faster I could get back to Emily's place to tell Freya of my revelation, the better. I had just dropped it to the sandy earth when I heard her calling my name.

**Freya's POV**

Not even bothering to change out of the white nightgown of Emily's, I began making my way down the hall, toward the window Jake had jumped out of just a moment before. That's when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Where are you going?" Paul asked me.

Crap.

"Paul…I…I thought that you'd gone downstairs," I gasped. Paul's presence in the hallway was the last thing I'd been expecting. It had kind of shattered my resolve, just a little. I tried to pull away from his grasp, but…well. Did I ever mention that werewolves are kind of strong?

"Clip. What's going on?"

"Jake," I muttered.

"What did he do?" Paul sighed.

"He…he left," I admitted, averting my eyes. "I kissed him, and he jumped out the window faster than you can say 'blow-off'."

"Seriously?" Paul asked, his eyebrows rose, apparently not believing my story. "Are you that bad a kisser?"

"It's not me, stupid," I growled, smacking him hard on the arm. "It's him. He didn't even say why, he just left."

"Go downstairs," he ordered. "Talk to Emily real quick. Change into some real clothes before you go outside, ok?"

"I don't want to go downstairs!" I exclaimed. "I want to go out there and beat the crap out of that stupid werewolf!" I pushed and pulled against him as he dragged me by the forearm toward the staircase. What did he think he was doing? I needed to talk to Jacob, not Emily.

"Seriously. Just…go downstairs, ok?" he sighed. "I'll be right back. I promise."

"Paul! Let go!" I cried, hitting every part of him that I could reach. "Let go of me!"

"Stop hitting me," he growled. He knocked my legs out from under me. Right before I fell, he caught me up in his arms and wrapped my arms around his neck. Paul then began _carrying_ me down the stairs. Like some kind of baby who couldn't walk on her own.

"PAUL!" I screeched. I couldn't believe this! He was freaking carrying me down the steps! I hit his chest as hard as I could, but he didn't put me down- he just brought me downstairs and threw me down on the couch.

"Hold her," he ordered, not to any one specific person, but to the room in general. Sam and Quil jumped up, and pinned me to the couch.

"This isn't fair, Paul!" I exclaimed. "I need to go talk to him!"

"You need to calm down!" Paul corrected me. "I'm going to go talk to him first. Ok? Then you can beat as much sense into him as you deem necessary."

I don't know what made me listen to him. Maybe it was the commanding tone of his voice- I'd never heard it that way before. I mean, he was always loud…but it was generally a rude, accusing sort of loudness that had you wanting to punch his skull in. Never before had I heard him speak with so much authority and purpose. Or…maybe I listened to him because when he spoke, his light got very, very bright- almost blindingly bright. I knew then that Paul only wanted to help me, that he wouldn't ever hurt me. He was my brother, and whether we got along all the time or not, he loved me, and didn't like to see me upset.

"Thank you," I whispered as he opened the front door. Paul froze, and then nodded before taking off into the night.

"So…what's going on here?" Quil asked from where he was sitting- on my legs, in case you were wondering.

"Shut up," I growled from underneath the two wolves. "Both of you."

"I didn't say anything," Sam reminded me with a grin.

"But you were about to," I pointed out. "Now…if you two lovely dears could please get off of my, before you re-break my ribs or something…" Sam and Quil removed themselves from the couch, laughing like mad men before heading into the kitchen where Emily was, as usual, cooking. I sat up on the couch, Indian style.

I couldn't help but wonder why Paul was getting involved in all of this. I mean…generally, Paul wasn't big on emotions other than anger and irritation. The situation between Jake and I could use a mediator, however, so I wasn't about to argue.

Taking deep, calming breaths, I tried to view my situation from a logical angle.

However, my heart was still fluttering a little from the memory of that kiss…that quick, perfect kiss that Jake had allowed me before politely shoving me away and jumping out the window. I remembered how his light had grown just a shade darker as he left. He was dangerous to me.

I knew what could happen, if Jake and I were to be together the way I wanted us to be. He could imprint on someone else, like Sam did when he was dating Leah. They'd been about a jump, skip, and a hop away from getting married, and then he'd met Emily, and it was like all his history with Leah meant nothing. I knew that this same situation could happen to me in a heartbeat, and that it would hurt like nothing I've ever felt before.

But when I was around Jake…God, I just…he made me feel so good about myself. He'd never once commented on how horrible my hair looked after a night of patrol, or how bad my singing was. He was the one that reminded me, when my mother left, that _she_ was the one who had messed up, not me. The way we talk, during patrol, made me feel almost normal, sometimes- despite the fact that we both happened to have taken on the shape of a couple of wolves and were reading each other's minds.

Now that took skill.

I was willing to risk getting my heart broken over Jake, if he was willing to swallow his self-righteousness and take a chance that I might get hurt. I was a big girl, after all, and more than capable of taking care of myself. Heartbreak wasn't fun, but I doubt that it would literally kill me.

The next few minutes passed in what seemed like hours. It was absolutely torturous, sitting there, waiting for Paul to return so that I could go talk to Jake about what had happened up in my room. As I watched the clock on the wall across from me, I could have sworn that the second hand was moving slower and slower with each passing minute. By the time five minutes had passed, I actually thought I was going to explode.

"Oh, screw this," I muttered, getting up from the couch and throwing open the front door. "I'm leaving!" I announced. And before anyone could stop me, I took off at a run, following Jake's footprints down toward the beach.

Of course, by the time I got there, the water had washed away any traces of the imprints Jake's feet had left in the damp sand, and his scent had been washed clean. So, I reverted to the oldest method of tracking out there.

I began to call his name.

"Jake!" I cried. "Jake, where are you?"

I passed by Paul, who was not looking happy. "Go ahead," he motioned toward Jake's favorite spot on the beach- an old hollow log that I remembered playing in together when we were little. "Have fun."

I ran toward the spot, still calling out to Jake, hoping he'd answer me. It had gotten dark all of a sudden, and it was hard to determine the dark shapes on the beach from a tree in the distance or a person.

"Jake!" I exclaimed when I finally spotted him.

He froze, looking in my direction. He must have been about to phase, because I saw his shirt lying in the sand. (Just lying there…in the sand. Emily hated washing sandy clothes- the sand had a habit of getting everywhere, including into other people's laundry. He was going to have to wash that shirt himself, in his own home.)

As soon as I was close enough, I brought my hands up, and shoved against his unnaturally chiseled chest as hard as I possibly could. He barely even swayed.

"I've got something I need to tell you," he informed me, snaking one arm around my waist.

Yeah…there was no way I was going to let him talk first. I wasn't even going to give him the luxury of knowing that I wasn't going to let him speak first. I just smacked his arm away from me and crossed my own arms over my chest.

He seemed to hesitate. What was his problem? Didn't he know how to speak? Or had he lost the brain capacity to perform even that function? I raised my eyebrows at him, willing him to continue. Eventually, I got tired of waiting for him to speak. So I spoke for him.

"I love you."

"I love you."

I looked at him, my eyes wide.

I hadn't said it twice.

He'd said it, the same time I had. And he looked just as surprised as I was. I hadn't thought that he'd say he loved me. I'd figured he was going to explain why he'd pushed me away earlier…something I hadn't been sure I'd wanted to hear. But now, it seems, I didn't have to hear it at all.

Because he loved me.

For a moment, my heart was soaring. But then…then, I realized what his declaration meant, and I was searing, white-hot _angry._

"What's your problem?" I screeched.

"Freya, listen—"

"No!" I exclaimed. "You listen, Jake. I honestly have no idea what's going on with you lately! I mean, first you're all sweet and holding my hand and crap that makes a normal conversation really, really awkward, and then when I try and kiss you, you jump out the window! Like I had the plague, or something! And now you _love _me?"

"I know," he sighed. "I've been acting…weird, lately. And I'm sorry, Freya."

"I'm sorry?" I screeched. "I'm _sorry?_ That's it?"

"I'm really sorry?"

"Sorry isn't good enough for me, Jake," I glared at him. "You can't keep giving me mixed signals like this. Either you love me, or you don't. Make up your freaking mind already, ok?"

Jake just laughed. Laughed! Like he thought I was funny!

"What on God's green earth is so funny, Jacob?"

"I just…" he burst out laughing again, doubling over with his hands on his sides. When he finally regained some control over himself again, he looked me in the eye and brought his hand up to my cheek. The sweet, simple touch had my heard beating at about a million miles an hour, and I couldn't keep my head from leaning into his touch. Just like the dog that I am inside. "I can't believe you said it back," he murmured.

"You don't have to laugh at me, you know," I replied, his touch calming me down considerably. "It doesn't exactly do wonders for my self-esteem, you know."

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "And I'm sorry about earlier."

"Yeah…what was that about?" I demanded, angry again as I pulled away from him to put my hands on my hips.

"I don't want to hurt you, Freya," he admitted. "I'm terrified that just when things are going great with us…I'll go and imprint on someone, and ruin everything. I'm not sure I'd ever be able to forgive myself for hurting you like that."

I just shrugged, crossing my arms over my chest. "I'd get over it eventually. And we still don't know whether or not I'm capable of imprinting, you know. But…honestly, I don't care. Not right now, when we're together like this. There's no point in worrying about the future. I mean…I'm willing to risk getting hurt, Jake. Being with you…" I blushed. I'd never been good with letting people see so much of what I was feeling. I'd never felt so…vulnerable in my life. "I believe being with you now is worth maybe getting hurt later," I finished with confidence, my eyes locked on his.

"So do I," he grinned. This time, when his arms wrapped themselves tight around me, I didn't even dream about pulling away. For the first time in such a long, long time, I felt wanted. I felt warm, and wanted, and…loved.

"Good," I smiled up at him. "Say it again," I pleaded, bringing my arms up around his neck and snuggling up closer to his chest, loving the way it felt beneath me…strong and confident, and safe.

"I'm sorry?" he guessed with a frown.

"Before that," I grinned.

He looked down at me then, and I could tell from the look in his eyes that what he'd said earlier- everything about not wanting to hurt me, being afraid, blah, blah, blah…he'd meant it. Jake looked just a little bit terrified…but he smiled at me. And that smile absolutely melted my heart. "I love you," he repeated, pulling me closer to him.

"That's convenient, you know," I informed him, the grin on my face beginning to really hurt the muscles in my mouth- I hadn't smiled so big for so long in ages it seemed. "because I love you, too."

"I can't even begin to tell you how good it feels to hear that," he smiled at me. "I mean…after all these years, and the whole thing with Bella…I was so stupid, and so blind. And then I went and almost blew it all again today…I'm so, so, so—"

I slapped my hand over his mouth. I didn't want to hear about how much and how badly he'd been screwing up lately. Trust me, I already knew.

"Just shut up and kiss me already, will you?" I laughed.

And so he did.

**Jake's POV**

Oh. My. God.

That was the only thought that could possibly make it through my mind at this moment, when my arms were around her waist, her lips so sweet on mine…I'd kissed her before, a couple of times. But it had never been a mutual thing, the way it was now. The way she was pulling closer to me, as if she couldn't quite get close enough…the way she whispered my name against her lips.

My name, I thought with satisfaction. Not Owen's, or anyone else's. Mine.

When we finally broke away from each other, we were panting like dogs on a hot summer day, grinning from ear to ear. The cool night wind blew a strand of hair in front of her eyes; I reached over to brush it away from her face. I held her close to me, still trying to believe that she was real.

That this was real.

"I'm here," she reminded me with a smile.

Oh, God, did I know.

It seemed really tacky to make out with her on the beach any longer- I mean, this sand was everywhere. So I took her by the hand over to the hollow log, and sat down. I pulled her down next to me, so close our legs were brushing. It was the most natural thing in the world, to sit there with my arm around her shoulders, protecting her from the wind, although I guess since we were both wolves, the cold was something neither of us really needed to worry about.

We talked for what seemed like hours. We spilled all our secrets; everything we'd been thinking while we messed up chance after chance we'd been given in the past couple weeks to be together. We ended up laughing a lot- especially when she described the look on my face after she'd punched me.

After a while, we grew quiet. It had to have been nearly two in the morning- I could hear the wolves in the woods howling their eerie, supernatural cries.

"Does it ever bother you?" she wondered out loud. "The way we're so different from everybody else?"

"Sometimes," I admitted. "Sometimes I miss the friends I had before. I miss the lack of responsibility- the freedom to go do whatever I want to, whenever I want."

"Yeah," she sighed. "I miss it too, sometimes…especially my mom."

"It isn't your fault, Freya," I reminded her with a gently smile and a squeeze of her hand. "I would have stayed for you."

"Hmm…" she smiled absentmindedly as I brushed her hair behind her ear. "I almost like this better," she mused. "Being a werewolf…with the pack, they're like family."

"What about me?" I asked with a grin.

"You…I don't know what to make of you sometimes," she teased me. "I mean…you're like my brother, my best friend, and my boyfriend all wrapped into one amazingly wonderful package."

"Come here," I growled playfully, turning her head toward me for another kiss. I could feel the corners of her mouth turn up in a smile, and I couldn't help but smile along with her.

You know what? Freya was right. It didn't matter what happened in the future. Because right now, all we had was the present, and frankly, things can't get much better than they are right now.

* * *

**Aww, wasn't that just the sweetest thing ever? I LOVE this chapter...Jake and Freya finally figured out their issues:) Well...now that this major milestone in the story is out of the way, the story's probably got only a few chapters left! But don't worry- I've already got ideas for a sequel going:D **

**Penny for your thoughts?;)**


	27. Surprise! I'm Back!

**Disclaimer: Nothing has changes since last chapter. Twilight still isn't mine- it most likely never will be. But I like to pretend sometimes:) haha:)**

**I am SO sorry about last chapter! It seems that every time I have a POV change, I forget to mark it in the actual story:) Don't worry, no POV changes this time- and I'll be sure to mark any POV changes in the future. Thanks to everybody who pointed out my mistake! :) And to everyone else who reviewed chapter 26! You guys rock! and as a reward- Chapter 27!**

**And thanks a million to my marvelous beta, Rebecca Masen! You rock! :D**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

Jake and I ended up returning to Emily's house at about one in the morning. We walked through the front door together, his arm wrapped around my waist, my arm slung over his broad shoulders. We'd been laughing so hard for so long that I thought I was going to be sick, and my cheeks were beginning to burn from smiling for so long. I'd never been happier in my life than at that moment.

"Freya Selene Lust, where in the _world_ have you been?" Emily screeched. "You think you can just leave without telling me where you're going or when you'll be back, and then you come prancing in through the front door at _one in the morning?_"

"Umm…Em?" I cringed. I hated seeing Emily upset…and not just because she can be quite frightening when she wants to be, with her eyes flashing and wide, her apron covered in flour and accenting every other syllable with a wild gesture with the rolling pin she held in one hand.

"_What?" _

Jake just smiled at her, pulling me closer to him. "Hi," he grinned.

For a moment, Emily just stood there, blinking. She lowered the rolling pin to her side, and then slowly, a huge grin spread across her face.

"Ahhh!" She screamed, jumping up and down like a fourteen-year-old girl who had finally been presented with her first cell phone. "Finally!" She rushed at us, throwing her arms around us- rolling pin and all- in a huge group hug. "I knew it!" Emily exclaimed. "When you left me that letter…I mean, I was surprised that you knew it, but I knew," she gushed, speaking so quickly that I could hardly catch the meaning behind her words.

I just took in her overexcited praise, her comments on how cute a couple we were, and how excited she was that all this was finally happening between us with a smile, my face growing steadily redder as she went on. It wasn't until she squealed, exclaiming, "Oh, I am going to make the most beautiful cake for your wedding!" that Jake and I finally drew the line.

"You know what, Em?" I swallowed, suddenly very, very embarrassed. "I'm kind of exhausted. I'm going to head on up to bed, if that's alright with you."

She apologized profusely, and then hurried me on up the stairs to bed, leaving Jake standing alone and very, very confused in the living room with the other pack members who were still around. I didn't see any way around her to get back downstairs to tell him goodnight- if I even took one step in the kitchen, I knew Emily would be all over me, and we'd end up baking cookies until four in the morning. I was actually really tired- I'd had kind of a long day- so I decided to just go ahead and get some sleep.

I had just switched off the lights and climbed into bed when I thought I heard Mission Impossible being tapped out on my window. With a grin, I climbed out of bed to open the window for Jake.

"What are you doing?" I asked with in a whisper.

"I didn't get to kiss you goodnight," he explained. With that, he tilted my chin upward- he was a good four inches taller than I was, after all- and brought his lips down on mine.

"You really should go," I chuckled, brushing a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

"Emily's downstairs, talking to Sam. She won't notice I'm up here," he objected.

"No…I mean, I actually want to get some sleep," I explained.

"Are you…are you kicking me out?" he gasped, pretending to be offended. "That cuts deep, Clip. Really, I don't know how you could be so cruel."

"Oh, shut up," I ordered with a laugh. "You said goodnight- now get home and get some sleep, ok?" I pecked him on the lips one more time before I began gently shoving him in the direction of the window.

I had him halfway out the window when he turned back to me, smiling. "I love you," he reminded me for the twentieth time that night. I didn't mind, though- each time he said it, a new wave of happiness came over me. Tired as I was, I felt almost as if I were already asleep and dreaming.

"I love you too, Jake. Now, scat! Before Billy starts to miss you."

He shook his head, laughing, as he dropped down the two stories and into Emily's garden below, careful not to land on any of her beautiful summer roses. After that, he was just a shadow in the dark, making his way carefully across the woods toward his own home.

The next morning, Carlisle stopped by to tell me that I was ready to head back out into the real world.

"You're all healed up!" he announced brightly, his light shining so purely white I thought it was going to blind me. "Go ahead and let Sam know, and I'm sure he'll put you back on the patrol schedule as soon as possible. I know how you miss being out and around."

"Thank you, Carlisle!" I exclaimed happily, throwing my arms around his neck. It was awkward- I mean, with my whole touching issue. I didn't usually go around hugging everyone who gave me good news. Besides that, there was the smell…or rather, lack of smell. I'd noticed that- since I'd been bitten- the vampire stench wasn't nearly as potent to me. According to Owen, I didn't smell quite as "bad" either.

"You're welcome," he chuckled, patting me on the back affectionately. I could see why so many people in Forks looked up to this guy. "I've got to get back to the hospital...but I hope you'll be attending the wedding, later this summer?"

"Wedding?" I asked with a frown.

"Didn't Bella tell you?" Carlisle asked.

"No," I replied with a shake of my head. "She didn't. I'll have to go talk to her."

"Hmm…well. Be nice," he ordered.

I flashed him the most innocent, angelic smile I could muster. "Aren't I always?"

He just chuckled, shaking his head in amusement as he left. As soon as the door was shut behind him, I began packing all the clothes and other things my dad had brought over while I'd been healing into my biggest suitcase. (It had wheels!) Then, I proceeded to roll the suitcase down the stairs and over to the front door.

"I'm going home, Emily," I announced.

"Carlisle told me," she nodded in recognition. "But won't you wait and have breakfast with us before you go? I made pancakes- your favorites."

The buttery sweet smell of pancakes drenched in syrup and peanut butter and a bunch of other crap that was really, really bad for you drifted over me from the kitchen. It was intoxicating, and irresistible. With a smile, I headed into the kitchen, where about half the pack was gathered around the wooden table.

"Morning," Sam greeted me in between mouthfuls of pancake. The others echoed his calls, and offered me a spot at the table between Sam and Seth. Emily heaped pancakes and butter and peanut butter and syrup onto my plate, and handed me a fork.

We laughed and talked the meal away, like the big, happy family of freaks we had become. Sam agreed to give me my old patrol times back now that I was recovered, and we traded stories about the big battle. Apparently my dad had shown up sometime while I was in the mountains, fighting Victoria. I was proud of him, for overcoming his long-ago injury to help me and my pack. The pack also made quite a few jokes about my time under the drugs Carlisle had put me on a few weeks back. Apparently, I had an army of unicorns, waiting at the ready, for the next time someone tried to wake me up too early.

Ah, if only…

After I helped Emily wash the dishes and clean up the kitchen, I said goodbye to Sam and brought my luggage with me over to Bella's house. I knocked on the door and waited patiently while Officer Swan made his way through the house to let me in.

"Freya!" he exclaimed with a smile. Then he saw my suitcase, and frowned. "Bella didn't tell me she was having anyone over."

"Oh, no, Officer Swan," I laughed. "No…I just wanted to stop by for a chat real quick. Is Bella here?"

"I'm afraid not," he admitted. "She's out with Edward somewhere. You could try calling her cell, if you really need to talk to her."

"Oh, cool," I grinned at the police chief. "Thanks. By the way…my dad and Billy Black are going to be watching football this Friday. I know they'd both love it if you joined them."

"Thanks for the invite, Freya," he smiled at me. "Tell Billy I'll see him Friday."

"Will do!" I called, waving to him as I dragged my rolling suitcase down the drive and back onto the street. From there, I then made my way toward the Cullen household. If Bella and Edward were together, chances are they were there. I knocked on the door, and as soon as my knuckled touched the wood, Alice swung the door open with a grin on her face.

"Oh, this is wonderful!" she cried. "I can see you so much better now you've been bitten."

"Hey, Alice," I smiled at her. I really was happy to see her- she had to be my favorite of the Cullen vampires, excluding Carlisle.

"What can I do for you?" she asked. Her eyes took on a vacant sort of look, as if she were looking past my shoulder and out into the woods at something that I couldn't see. Her eyebrows furrowed with concentration. "Hmm…you need to talk to Edward about something?" she guessed.

"Close," I chuckled. "Bella. I need to speak with Bella. Is she here?"

"She's right upstairs," Alice nodded. "Come on in- I'll got get her." She opened up the door wider, and waited until my foot had stepped over the threshold. Alice seemed to notice my hesitation, for she laughed, and pulled me in by the forearm. Her fingers, unnaturally cold, gripped my skin with a gentle sort of strength that only a vampire could really pull off. "We don't bite," she laughed.

"Much," I heard Emmett call from the couch in the living room. "Hey, werewolf," he greeted me. "Butchered any deer lately?"

"Oh, hi, Emmett," I replied, happy that he remembered me from that day in the field, when he'd teased me about the way I'd been eating the deer he'd caught. The day had been sunny and warm, the meadow beautiful as ever. Only I hadn't realized what a wonderful day it had been at the time- I was too busy worrying about my other problems. "No, not deer. I got a couple good swipes at a vampire, though."

"I see she managed to take part of you down with her," Emmett smiled, noting the ragged scarring on my neck where Victoria had bitten me.

"Yeah," I laughed.

"I think it's an improvement," he commented. "The smell is so much better than before. You still smell like a wet dog…but a wet dog that's been recently sprayed with perfume."

"Thanks….I think?"

"Freya!"

At that moment, I felt skinny little arms wrap around my neck in a tight hug. I spun around so that I was able to hug Bella in return. "Hey, Bells!" I laughed. "It's good to see you again. I've missed you this week."

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I've just been kind of busy…"

"That's what I've heard," I teased her. "So. Am I invited to the wedding or not?"

"Who told you?" she demanded, her eyes turning wide with horror and indignation. "It was Alice, wasn't it? She can never keep her mouth shut." Bella spun around to glare good-naturedly at the admittedly talkative vampire.

"Relax, Bella," I ordered. "Carlisle told me. He thought you'd talked to me about it already…but you hadn't." I glared at her accusingly. "Why haven't you?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Freya," she apologized with a sigh. "I've just been…busy lately. You know? I mean…Alice has been going crazy with the wedding plans, and insists that I give my opinion on every tiny little detail. It's been pure madness. And you've been sick…I didn't want to bother you with all of this while you were sick. I was going to tell you as soon as Carlisle let you go home."

"He just let me out of the prison today," I joked. "And I forgive you," I smiled.

"Thanks," she grinned.

"I'm really, really happy for you, Bella," I informed her. "Edward's a good guy. He'll be good for you."

"I know," she nodded. "And I heard it through the grapevine that you and Jake…"

I blushed, crossing my arms over my chest defensively. "Yeah, we're together now. So? Why does everybody keep making such a big deal out of it?" She just laughed at me, hugging me once again, her arms surprisingly strong, for a human.

"So, I am invited to the wedding, aren't I?" I asked just to clarify.

"Of course," she breathed. "I couldn't go through with it without my best friend there."

"You make it sound like marriage is a bad thing," I chuckled.

"Well…when you're eighteen and the whole town thinks you've gotten yourself knocked up, it is," she muttered, her hands drifting unconsciously toward her stomach. "Which is not true, by the way," she added hastily. "Say you'll be there?" Bella begged. "I'm going to need a maid of honor."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world, Bella," I reassured her, tears stinging a little in my eyes. I never thought she'd ask me to be a bridesmaid, much less the maid of honor. I was, indeed, honored, and touched that she would choose me over all her human friends.

I hung out at the Cullen residence for a while, talking and laughing and joking with my favorite family of vampires, until the sun was starting to drop lower and lower in the sky. Bella was getting tired- she was nearly asleep, leaning against Edward's shoulder on the couch. I had patrol in a few hours, and needed to get some sleep myself.

"I'm going to take Bella home," Edward announced. "Would you like a ride?" he offered me.

"Actually…yeah," I smiled. "That would be great, Edward. Thanks."

"No problem," he shrugged. He grabbed a set of keys off the counter in the kitchen, and tossed them to me. "You drive," he ordered. He then picked up his fiancée and carried her out to the garage. "Come," Edward ordered.

"Woof," I muttered under my breath, following the vampire obediently out to where his shiny silver Volvo was parked. I opened up the driver's side door and climbed in, while Edward got in back with Bella. "We wolves are used to walking," I warned him. "So I'm not the greatest driver. We're also used to going _fast,_ so if you're used to being a driving Miss Daisy, then you might want to take the keys back."

"Go ahead," Edward challenged me. "Drive as fast as you like."

I grinned at him in the rearview mirror, shoved the keys in the ignition, and hit the gas. Pretty soon we were up to 100 miles and hour, and still getting faster. We sped down the road leading up to the Cullen home, and then through the several back roads through the forest that lead toward my own home. We were there in a matter of minutes, and I couldn't help but notice that Edward seemed impressed by my driving.

"Finally, someone who understands what it means to drive fast," he chuckled. I got out of the car, leaving the engine running, holding the door open for Edward as he took my spot in the driver's seat. "I'll see you around, Freya," he smiled at me.

"Bye, Edward," I called to him as he drove back down the driveway. "Thanks for the ride!" I entered the deserted house, and collapsed on the sofa. I wanted to get a nice, long nap in before I went out for patrol.

_Hurry it up Freya, will you? _Paul snapped. He seemed to be even more irritated than he usually was. Not that this was a big surprise, or anything- Paul was always mad about something.

_Sorry!_ I apologized. _Sorry…my alarm didn't go off. My bad. _

_Next time,_ he growled, _try to be on time. I've been picking up your rounds for the past freaking month, and showing up late really isn't the best way to repay me. Alright? _

_Yeah, sure, alright. I said I was sorry, _I reminded him. _I won't be late next time, ok? _

_You'd better not be, Clip. _

I just rolled my eyes, and kept on running, this time keeping my thoughts and apologies to myself.

I couldn't help but notice the differences in how I was running, since I'd been bitten. My strides were longer, faster, stronger- I was used to fly through the forest. Now, I rocketed between the trees. I could hear my heartbeat, if I listened hard enough- it seemed unnaturally slow, for how fast I was running. I was moving with more speed, power, and confidence than ever before, and I owed it all to Victoria.

_It isn't like she did you a favor, Clip, _Paul interrupted my musings. _The only reason you aren't dead right now is that Victoria likes to play with her food before she eats it. If she'd been in a more merciful mood that night, she would have just snapped your neck and been done with it. _

_You think I like what she did to me?_ I asked, incredulous. _You think I enjoy being a freak among freaks? No…I'm just one of those people who actually tries to see the bright side of a situation, instead of focusing on how much I hate the world and everyone in it. _

_Fair enough,_ he muttered as he ran through a large patch of mud. _Ugh!_ He spat. _Mud in my mouth! _

_Smooth, _I laughed. _Very smooth, Paul. _

_Well…I try. _

When our patrol was finally over, I stopped at Emily's house to change, said goodnight to Paul, Sam, and Emily, and headed home. When I arrived, Jake was standing in the back yard, throwing pebbles at my window.

"Jake!" I called to him, laughing. "What are you doing up there?"

He dropped his handful of rocks and walked toward me. His hands found mine, and he smiled. "I wanted to see you, of course," he teased me. Jake kissed my cheek softly, and then dragged me by the hand toward the front door. I used the spare key that my dad, Riff, and I always kept in a lock box next to the doorbell, and let us in.

"Nobody home?" he guessed, looking around at the dark living room, and the tiny bit of kitchen that you could see from the front door.

"Nope," I answered. I put the spare key back in the box, and shut the door behind me, making sure to lock it tight. "Dad's probably at work and Riff's visiting a friend of his somewhere in the great plains. His name's Kyle, and his family owns a farm out in rural Kansas, or maybe Iowa, or Missouri…I think it's Kansas, though," I nodded with a frown. "Anyway, Dad and I thought it best he was off the reservation when Victoria and her little friends came through."

"So, your brother's out working on a farm?" Jake asked, hardly able to believe it.

"I guess so," I grinned. "Kyle said he'd take pictures."

"Facebook?" he guessed.

I nodded, my evil grin spreading wider across my face. "Facebook," I agreed.

"So…I guess we're all alone, huh?" Jake asked, wiggling his eyebrows up and down and wrapping his arms around my waist, teasing me.

"Idiot," I laughed, pushing him away from me. "I don't know about you, but I am starving." I headed toward the kitchen, Jake following close behind. I opened up the fridge, and looked around for something either leftover from the night before or easy to make myself. After finding nothing in the fridge, I turned to the freezer. I was delighted to find a whole frozen pizza. "Mmm," I groaned. "Pepperoni, my favorite."

I tore it out of the box, and threw it in the oven. I didn't even wait for it to preheat, I was that hungry.

"You'd think that Emily was letting you starve," Jake chuckled.

"Hmm," I murmured in distracted agreement. I was searching the pantry for something to go with our pizza. Eventually, I gave in to my conscience and got the lettuce out of the fridge. "Dad thinks I need to eat healthily," I chuckled. "I don't think he remembers that werewolves need about a million calories a day."

I prepared two bowls of delicious salad, complete with strawberries, pecans, carrots, tomatoes, and blueberries. When I placed one bowl and a fork in front of him, he grimaced. "Yum," he commented, picking at the fresh green lettuce with his fork. "Rabbit food."

"Oh, shut up and eat your lettuce," I ordered, smacking him playfully on the arm.

So we sat there at the kitchen table together, eating our salad. Sometime during the salad course of our delicious, gourmet meal, Jake intertwined one of his hands with mine. I looked at him, smiling- he smiled back, and took a huge bite of lettuce. God, I loved him.

After about half an hour, the oven timer finally went off. Since I hadn't preheated the oven, the pizzas were a little cold- Jake suggested we just eat them anyway. So we had half-frozen pizza and salad for supper that night.

"Do you want to wash or dry?" I asked him when we were finished eating.

"Don't you have a dishwasher?" Jake teased me.

"Oh, why, thank you for offering to do the dishes, Jacob!" I grinned at him. "How sweet."

"Ha, ha, very funny," he chuckled. "Go pick out a movie or something to watch."

"You know you're allowed to go home, right?" I asked him suspiciously.

"I never did like the thought of you being here by yourself at night," he frowned before taking our plates over to the sink to wash them off. "It makes me nervous. I'll stick around until your dad gets home."

"I would be perfectly fine here by myself," I muttered. "I can take care of myself, you know."

"I know," he nodded, coming over take my small hands in his giant ones. "But I'm here. So you don't have to." Jake smiled, and bent over to kiss me.

"I love you," I sighed against his lips, absolutely loving the way they felt against mine, and still not quite able to believe that he was really kissing me the way he was right now.

"Hmm," he murmured, not answering, but instead deepening the kiss and tangling his fingers in my hair. It didn't matter; he didn't need to say it. Jake must have known that he didn't have to say it, but when he broke the kiss, he smiled at me and said it anyway. "I love you, too, Clip. Go pick a movie."

Half an hour later, we were curled up together on the couch watching the opening credits for the third Lord of the Rings movie. "Too bad hobbits aren't real," I sighed. "They would make excellent leprechauns. I could hire one to dress up in green and scare Riff on St. Patrick's Day."

"Riff's afraid of leprechauns?" Jake laughed.

I nodded. "Ever since we were little and watched a St. Patrick's Day movie marathon. There was a movie on, some leprechaun horror film, or something. The special effects were terrible, but it really freaked Riff out."

"That's really funny," Jake admitted, pressing his lips against my hair.

"Stop that," I chuckled. "I'm trying to watch the movie."

"Sorry," he whispered, his breath tickling my ear. He took one of my hands in his, and rubbed circles on my palm with his thumb.

I groaned. _Screw the movie,_ I thought. I turned around on the couch, pressing my lips firmly against his. I felt the corners of his mouth turn up in a smirk. Of course, this was what he'd been wanting the whole time…and Jake always did have a habit of getting what he wanted. If he wanted to make out with his girlfriend downstairs on the couch, then that's what was going to end up happening, sooner or later.

Since the credits hadn't even finished rolling down the screen yet, I'd say sooner rather than later.

Jake was trailing kisses down my jaw line when I heard the doorbell ring. He stopped what he was doing, and looked up toward the door. "Ignore it," I ordered, pulling on the collar of his shirt to connect my lips with his once again. We were pretty happy like this, until we both heard the sound of a key turning in a lock.

The door opened, and into the house stepped someone I was fairly certain I would never see again.

It was my mother.

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**Chapter 27! There are only going to be a couple more chapters after this one...I've just about wrapped this story up! No worries- I've already got part of the sequel planned out:) I don't have a name, though...if anybody has any suggestions, you can leave me a review:) Thanks again for sticking with this story! You guys are ah-mazing! :D**

**Penny for your thoughts?;)**


	28. Playing Dead is Harder Than it Looks

**Disclaimer: Twilight is not mine. Neither is New Moon, Eclipse, or Breaking Dawn. I own none of it...I just like to read it:D **

**Thanks a million again to my beta, Rebecca Masen. Without her, this chapter would not be nearly as good as it turned out to be. Thank you so much! :D**

**I'm sorry this chapter took me so long to put up! I know, I know...shame, shame. It's been about a week since my last update, and this time I really have no excuse. Please forgive me! You guys are all so amazing, to have stuck with this story and put up with my slow updates:D **

**Now...to my new friend, Critical Fantasy Thinker (If this isn't you, feel free to skip the rest of the author's note and continue on to the chapter):**

**I loved your reviews:) You had some very valid points- yes I know, my writing is flawed, and I probably didn't explain a few things as well as I should have. I wish I could have replied to you privately, but I can't reply to an anonymous review. Next time you think there's something wrong with this story, I would love it if you would sign in, and then make your complaints:) That way, I can explain my thinking when I was writing that chapter of the story. Thanks so much for your reviews! They were really interesting to read, and totally made my week:) **

**

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Chapter Twenty-Eight**

I pushed Jake off of me, a bit unceremoniously and with a little more force than was probably necessary, and stood up to look at her for a second. Her eyes were still the same stormy grey as Riff's, only now they seemed sadder. Older, somehow…like when she left, she hadn't exactly been living in a five-star hotel. She had a suitcase in hand, so I guess she was planning on staying for a while. Her golden hair was shorter, now. Her light was glowing dimly, an off-white color similar to the one I'd seen on Paul the other day. She could hurt me- but it wasn't her intention. Somehow, my heart still hardened when her eyes met mine.

"Freya," she whispered her voice weak, quiet, timid; she'd averted her eyes from mine, and wouldn't make eye contact with me again. "Is this a bad time?" Her eyes strayed to where Jacob was standing at my elbow, a hand resting protectively on my shoulder.

I saw her looking me over, judging the changes in me. I wondered if she noticed that I'd cut my hair since she'd left- it was long, but it was still over a foot shorter than it had been a year ago. That was back when I used to walk around with my hair braided down my back. Back when I was still a teenage girl.

I wondered if she'd noticed that I'd grown up since she left.

I didn't speak- I just looked at her. We looked at each other, but never in the eyes. I couldn't help but thinking that I saw her nose turn up, just a little, in what I thought was disgust. Had she seen the color of the couch my dad had bought a few months ago? (It was called olive green, but really it looked more like vomit, which may or may not have contained olives.) Or was she thinking about the day I'd phased in front of her?

"I…your father," she managed at last, still not looking at me. "I need to speak with your father."

I still wasn't speaking. I was too angry, too furiously angry to say anything now. After all this time…she comes home. And she wants to speak with my _father._

"Markus isn't home," Jake spoke up for me. "He's at work."

"Tony, then?"

My fists and jaws clenched tight, and I could feel my knees starting to shake. The anger was coursing through me, making its way like fire through my veins. _Tony. Your father. _The words stung. I wanted nothing more than to shout at her, to scream and stomp and wave my hands in the air, anything to get her attention.

_I'm right here! Freya, the daughter you used to watch Hallmark movies with at three in the morning! The only one who cried when you left!_

"He's at a friend's house," Jake supplied, looking nervously at me, as if he could hear what I was thinking.

"Oh."

We both waited- Jake and I- to see what she would do now. Would she acknowledge my existence? Was she brave enough to look the daughter she'd abandoned in the eye?

When she didn't speak, Jake grasped my shoulder firmly, and began steering me past her toward the front door. "Markus's number's on the fridge," he said coldly. "I'm sure he'll be delighted to see you again."

Jake slammed the back door behind us, and helped me up into his car. He drove for a while, until we were sitting in his car, in the middle of the forest. "Are you ok?" he asked me, rubbing my back comfortingly.

I still couldn't talk. There was a lump in my throat- the kind that made it absolutely impossible to say anything without crying. I didn't want to cry in front of Jacob- I didn't want to cry at all. I'd wasted enough tears over my mother over the past year. Jake pried my white-knuckled grip off the dashboard of the car, instead holding my hands gently.

"Thank you," I whispered. "I didn't know how much longer I could bee in the same room as her."

He shook his head. "I remember when Marissa used to be smart." He brought our hands up to wipe away a tear that had somehow escaped. Jake's comment made me laugh, and kept the floods away for a little while longer.

"Do you think she'll call Dad?" I wondered out loud.

"Probably," Jake shrugged. "She's here to see him, apparently."

I thought about what that would do to my father, hearing from his wife again. (Yes, wife- my mom hadn't even had the decency to wait and get a divorce so that my father could move on.) She was his imprint; he would be ecstatic. Dad would race home, reading for things to be just how they'd always been before she'd left.

But things could never go back to how they'd been.

I whipped out my cell phone angrily, and dialed his number.

"Freya? What's wrong?" he demanded, answering on the first ring. He'd been unbearably paranoid, ever since Jake and Own had brought him to me in the forest, that day that seemed so long ago now when Victoria had tried to kill me.

"Mom's back," I said icily. "She just shows up on our doorstep, asking for you. As if nothing had happened."

"Marissa," he breathed. "Freya, honey, I'll be home in five minutes." The line went dead; he'd hung up. I sighed, closing my phone and slamming my head against the dashboard a couple times.

"Freya," Jake chuckled, catching my head before I was able to bang it against the dashboard a third time. "Come on. Stop killing your brain cells."

"Why did she have to come back?" I groaned, letting Jake take me into his arms and burying my head in his chest. I wished that she'd just stayed wherever it was that she'd disappeared to. Things were just starting to become ok again. I'd finally found my place with the werewolves, Dad had gotten over my mom's leaving- at least to the point where he said good morning to me when I came downstairs in the mornings- and I had this wonderful boyfriend. Bella and I had become friends, I'd earned a few battle scars.

I was just starting to get over her leaving. My mother's return now just brought all the anger, hurt, betrayal, and tears back to the surface again. She was home; but she didn't want me. She was so close, but so far away at the same time.

"I'll take you to Emily's," Jacob murmured into my hair sweetly.

"No," I demanded, my voice shaking just a little. I coughed, and repeated myself, my voice clear and calm now. "No. I'm not going to let her chase me out of my home. She's the one who shouldn't be there, not me."

He nodded, turning the keys in the ignition and driving me back home again. When he parked in the driveway, I saw that Dad's car was parked next to my mom's silver Buick. I ran my hands along the silver paint, remembering all the times I'd sat in the back, eating McDonalds and chattering on about how much fun I'd had in ballet class that day, even though she'd been sitting there watching me and the other students for the past hour.

Jake's hand covered mine, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"Are you ok, here by yourself?" he asked me.

"Don't you want to finish watching the movie?" I asked him. There was no way I was going to give my mother what she wanted- attention. I was going to ignore the crap out of my mother. She wanted things back to normal? Fine. I'll give her normal- the new normal I'd been forced to settle in when she'd left.

"Freya…" I could tell by the wary look in his eyes that he knew what I was doing, that he'd been intending to leave so that I could maybe talk things out with my mother. He also knew that talking was the last thing I wanted to do right now.

"Don't make me," I pleaded. "Please, Jake, don't make me go in there alone."

He nodded, taking up his protective stance at my side once again, his hands on my waist, leading me forward toward the door. It had been left wide open, an invitation to animals, vampires, werewolves, and thieves alike. That didn't really surprised me- Mom always had been scatterbrained, and my dad was probably too excited about seeing his wife again to think about something as trivial as closing the front door.

No…that wasn't what surprised me. I was a bit more occupied by the fact that I could see my parents in the kitchen, making out like a couple of teenagers.

"Ew," I muttered numbly. I guess Dad had forgiven her for leaving.

"Yeah," Jake agreed.

I just plopped myself down on the couch again, taking up the remote and pressing play. The movie resumed, the last of the credits making their way up the screen and away from our view. I tried to ignore my parents in the kitchen, but frankly- they were being really loud.

"Get a room, will you!" I called to them. I heard mumbled apologies from my father, and they made their way upstairs. Not wanting to think about that, I turned the volume up to practically full blast. Jake sat patiently through the movie- bless him- and only left when I announced that I was getting really, really tired.

"Alright," he nodded. "Do you want me to leave?"

"No," I admitted. "But I never do. Go home, get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow." I pushed him toward the door, urging him to get home where he belonged. "I love you," I reminded him with a small smile.

"Ditto," he grinned, kissing me goodnight before heading out to his car.

I shut and locked the door behind me, and headed up to my room. I collapsed on my bed, pulling the covers up over my head, wishing that the darkness could swallow me; that I would wake up in a world where women didn't abandon their children for something stupid, like turning into a wolf on the living room carpet.

The next morning, I woke up to my mother fixing pancakes in the kitchen. I knew it was her, because I could smell the mixture of spices I'd never been able to quite distinguish before I'd gone wolf. Now, I could tell that it included cinnamon, sugar, vanilla, and nutmeg. I remember the concoction to be absolutely delicious. This morning, however, it just made me want to be sick. It was a reminder to me that my mother was back.

And by the look of her and my dad's little reunion yesterday, she was back for good and forever amen.

I went through my daily routine slowly, donning a pair of shorts and a yellow tank top- even though it was raining cats, dogs, and possibly even buffalo outside. It was nearly eleven by the time I finally made my way down the stairs, walking in slow motion.

"Good morning, Freya!" my dad called to me from behind his newspaper at the kitchen table. My mom was doing dishes; she'd left out a plate for me, but she refused to look at me.

"I'm going to Emily's," I announced.

"Who's Emily?" my mom asked my dad. She still hadn't looked in my direction.

"Oh, you know, the head werewolf's fiancée," I informed her, emphasizing the word "werewolf". "It's where all the werewolves hang out. Like me, and Jake." Somehow, I just couldn't keep the acidity out of my voice. My mother looked horrified at the casual manner in which I said what I was.

"Aren't you going to eat breakfast first?" my mom managed to get out.

"No- we wolves are on a special diet," I grinned in a way that was almost evil. "It's what? Saturday?" She nodded hesitantly. "Excellent. I love mountain lion day." Laughing out loud at the absolutely aghast expression on my mother's face, I phased, right there in front of her, my clothes falling in shreds on the floor. Then, I bounded out the open front door.

When I got to Sam and Emily's place, I stood up on my back paws and rang the doorbell with one of my long, sharp claws. I then sat down calmly on my back legs and waited for someone to answer.

"Come on in, honey," Emily smiled at me. "There are some clothes of yours upstairs in the closet. I just cleaned them this morning." I licked her hand in appreciation, and made my way carefully up the spotlessly clean stairway, trying not to get any mud on the carpet.

Once the door was securely locked and the windows closed, I phased. There were clean towels in the bathroom- I decided to take a quick shower. When I was done, I wrapped myself in a clean, fuzzy, and surprisingly warm towel and made my way to the guest bedroom closet. It was full of clothes for each of us wolves, always ready and waiting in case one of us lost our cool, or couldn't bare to spend the night at home. I couldn't help but notice that almost half the clothes in there were mine. I sighed, picking out a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt to change into.

When I'd changed, I helped Emily cook breakfast for the two of us, Sam, and anybody else who decided to make an entrance for some free food. All the while, I couldn't help but notice how warm the towels were this morning. She wouldn't have washed all her towels…unless she knew she had a guest coming.

"Hey, Emily?" I asked as I set the table.

"Hmm?"

"Who told you about my mom? Did Jake tell you?" I guessed.

"He…may have mentioned it, yes," she admitted, placing a plate stacked high with biscuits next to the bowl of gravy in the center of the table. "I figured…you might be stopping by sooner or later. I just figured I'd have the room ready, just in case."

"Thank you," I mumbled.

"It's nothing," she smiled at me. "I enjoy having you around, anyway…even if I don't like the circumstances. I'm sorry about your mom, Freya."

I shrugged. "It's fine. I think I really freaked her out this morning. Phased, right there in front of her." I couldn't help but grin at the memory of my mother's face.

"Freya!" she gasped.

"What? She left because I was too much of a freak for her. I was just reminding her of that- in case she thinks I've changed, or something. Because I haven't."

She just shook her head with a sigh, handing me the pitcher of orange juice to set down on the table next to the milk. When she called the wolves waiting in the living room to breakfast, it was about as crazy as a stampede of gazelle- it reminded me of that scene in The Lion King where Mufasa dies. (Why, Scar- WHY?)

"Boys!" Emily yelled. "You're acting like animals!"

"We are animals," Embry pointed out as he shoveled gravy onto his biscuits.

Eventually, Emily got the boys to calm down enough so that we could all sit around the table without getting food everywhere. I took a spot between Emily and Quil, and the talk and laughter that was always shared during meals at Emily and Sam's house allowed me a temporary escape from my problems at home.

Of course, then my dad had to call and ruin everything.

"I should probably take this," I sighed, getting up from the kitchen table and heading up to the guest room. "Dad?"

"Hey, honey," he greeted me, sounding happier than he'd been since Mom left. "Where are you?"

"I told you, Dad, I'm at Emily's house," I sighed. "What do you want?"

"I need you to come home, sweetheart. Your mother and I need to tell you something."

"Oh, God, Dad…" I took a deep breath, struggling not to put down the phone and start banging my head against the wall. "She's not staying long, is she? I mean, she's just visiting, right? She'll be gone by Monday."

"Freya…come home," he begged. "Marissa…she wants to talk to you. She wants to see you again, Freya."

"I'm really not in the mood to talk to her right now, Dad," I sighed. "I can't even be in the same room as the two of you. It's disgusting." I had a boyfriend now, and I get that sometimes a little PDA can't be helped. But they could have at least waited until I was out of earshot.

"Freya…you can't live at Emily's house forever," he warned me. "You'll have to come home eventually. Your mom feels awful about what happened before. She…she's had it rough, while she was gone. Marissa got herself into some pretty messy situations- drugs, alcohol and such. She needs our help, Freya. Your mother needs you."

"What she _needs_ a good rehab center," I countered, "not her mutant freak of a daughter."

"You aren't a freak." My father's voice was soft, sympathetic. Of course, he remembered what it was like to be a teenage werewolf. He knew what it was like to lose all your best friends, to have the immense weight of the reservation's safety placed on your shoulders. He knew how it felt when you looked in the mirror, and couldn't even recognize yourself anymore.

"Tell Mom that," I laughed without humor.

"I did. She agrees with me now. With the both of us. She's on our side now, Freya."

"I didn't know this was a game, Dad."

He sighed, and I could just see the way he ran his fingers through his hair in frustration- something I'd inherited from him, by the way. "I never said it was a game," he argued. "I don't think it is. All I want is for you to come home. We miss you here."

"I've got some stuff I've got to take care of first. Then I'll come home. But if you think I'm going to be taking part in a little heart-to-heart with Mom…well. You're wrong." I hung up the phone in a huff, and made my way downstairs. "I'm leaving," I announced.

"Where are you going?" Emily inquired. "Back home?"

"Maybe," I shrugged. "I'd stay here a while longer…but this is the first place my dad would look for me."

Emily tsked at me for a moment, then sighed. "Go. Go ahead. I'll see you tonight. Sam wanted me to remind you about your patrol time- 5:00 tonight, and then again at midnight. Just like at the end of the school year. Can you handle that?"

"Of course, I can handle it, Em," I chuckled. "Thanks for being concerned, though. I'll see you tonight."

With that, I made my way through the front door, and began walking down the path that lead to the absolute last place my father would look for me- the Cullen home.

"Freya, come on in!" Alice exclaimed, throwing the door open for me a full fifteen steps before I even reached the front porch. She always was the first to the door. "I've been hoping you would visit us soon!"

"I've been meaning to visit," I nodded apologetically. "I'm actually here to see Owen. He's here, isn't he?"

"Oh, yeah, of course," Alice smiled. "Up the stairs, down the hall, the third door on the left." She led me into the house, and over to the winding staircase. "He's packing right now, but he knows you're here. He'll be waiting for you."

I went ahead and made my way up to Owen's room, and found the door wide open for me. Owen was kneeling on the floor over a black suitcase, folding and placing everything with great care. "Hey, Freya," he greeted me, without looking up from what he was doing. His voice sounded…so incredibly sad. Poor guy. I remembered what it had been like to be dragged into the world of vampires and werewolves. I at least got to keep my family with me. Owen's father and little sister believed him to be dead.

"Are you ok?" I asked him, coming to rest my hand gently on his rock-hard shoulder. "You sound a little down."

"I am a little down," he admitted. "A lot down."

"What's with the suitcase?"

"I'm leaving," he confirmed my suspicion. "I'm going up north, to Alaska. Carlisle has some friends there…I told you about the Denali clan a couple days ago, didn't I?" I nodded, urging him to continue. "I…I can't stay here, Freya," he sighed, his hands sparkling slightly as he ran them through his already fairly messed-up hair. "You know I can't."

"I know," I nodded. "Your dad, and Gracie…they're heartbroken. You'd be happier away from them, where you won't be tempted to drop by for a visit."

"Yeah," he sighed. We sat there in silence for a while, each of us contemplating the situation. "You know?" he asked me after a while. "I really hate her. Victoria." He spat out the name as if it were a curse word.

"Me, too," I agreed. "And…I'm sorry, Owen."

He looked at me, his eyebrows high and his eyes wide with surprise. "Sorry? What are you sorry for, Freya?"

"It's my fault, that you're this way. I was the one who dragged you into this war. I should have kept you away from Victoria- far away. I shouldn't ever have gone out with you, or led you on the way I did…that wasn't fair. I'm sorry."

"Hey, don't talk like that," Owen ordered gently, wrapping one arm around my shoulder. "I chose to follow you into the woods that day. Remember? I was the one who couldn't just mind my own business. I couldn't have just called you, like any other guy would after a date. I had to track you down." He chuckled. "And I'm really sorry about that last date, Freya. I…well. I wasn't on my best behavior. I never am, around you."

"It's fine," I sighed. "I shouldn't have agreed to go out with you, when I had feelings for Jake the way I did. I was stupid, and selfish."

"Isn't this just a great little pity party we're having?" he laughed. "You're stupid and selfish, and I can't mind my own business."

"You forgot to mention the fact that you're a complete stalker," I chuckled. "You always seemed to show up at just the wrong moment. I mean, that forest is huge. Bella and I had to have been nearly a mile away from your house, in the middle of this huge forest, and you walked by right as I was phasing. How on Earth did you pull that off?"

"I guess I just got lucky," he grinned. "I'd always known there was something weird about you, Freya."

"Hmm…yes, it's nice to know that I'm a weirdo. When are you leaving?" I reverted back to our topic from earlier. "Sometime next week?"

"I leave tomorrow."

"Tomorrow!" I exclaimed with a gasp. "So soon? Tanya and the others can wait a couple days, can't they?"

"I'm sure they wouldn't mind if I came up next week, or next month, or never at all," he sighed. "I'm the one who can't wait any longer. I can't sit back and watch my dad and Gracie at my funeral or being comforted by our friends and family…I can't do it anymore. I've tried to…to talk to them, in their dreams, the way I can with you. But it's harder than I'd thought it would be. I haven't quite figured it out yet. I love my family, Frey. I want to stay here with you and the others…but I just can't."

By now, Owen was having a little difficulty getting the words out. If he were human…he'd be crying.

"I hate her even more now," I whispered, "for doing this to you. You deserve a better life than this, Owen."

"I like to think so," he smiled sadly at me. "Life isn't perfect, though. Sometimes…sometimes what you love gets taken from you before you even get the chance to really have it." Owen looked at me then, and his still ruby-red eyes seemed so deep. I couldn't tell exactly what emotion was playing behind those eyes…but whatever it was, it was intense. We looked at each other like this for a moment or two, before Owen finally shook his head in dismay. "I've got to get out of here," he muttered, zipping his suitcase shut.

"I'll miss you," I smiled shakily at him. I hated crying…but seeing Owen so upset, and knowing that it was partially my fault…it tore me apart inside. Before I could stop myself, I'd thrown my arms around his neck and was hugging him as hard as I was able. I noticed that he still had the same honey-and-almonds type of smell…only now, it was like he'd been dipped in melted sugar. Sugary, sweet…and cold, like all the other vampires. I'd have been able to pick his scent out from a mile away.

"I'll miss you, too, Freya," he sighed. "I'll call you. Ok? We'll keep in touch. I promise."

I nodded, still not loosening my grip on his neck. "You'd better call me, Owen Anderson," I growled at him menacingly. "It would be only too easy to find you and rip your head off your shoulders if you don't."

"Aw, I'd hate for you to go to such trouble over me," he teased, reaching up to pry my arms away from him. He was strong- stronger than I was. Of course. He was a newborn vampire.

"You're worth it," I teased him right back.

We talked for a little while longer, carefully avoiding the topics of vampirism, werewolves, his family, and his new home. We did, however, talk about the movie I'd been wanting to see- Face Punch II. I still hadn't seen it, and judging by the way Owen raved about it, it was really good.

Or rather, really funny.

When the sun started dropping lower and lower into the sky, I decided that it was about time for me to go. "My dad is expecting me at home," I explained apologetically as I began walking toward the door. "I'll stop by tomorrow, before you leave."

"I'll see you tomorrow then, Freya," he smiled at me. Owen hugged me one last time before I hurried out the door, and began the long walk home.

* * *

**Well! What did you guys think about Owen moving? I'm going to miss him...he's a pretty cool guy. I hope we'll get to see him later, maybe in the sequel...;)**

**Speaking of the sequel- does anyone have suggestions for a name? If you have any, go ahead and leave me a review. I'd love your opinions:D**

**Penny for your thoughts?;)**


	29. Saying Goodbye is Kind of Depressing

**Disclaimer: Twilight isn't mine- it's Stephanie Meyer's. :) Thank you, Stephanie Meyer, for being so darn amazing:)**

**Thank you so much to my beta, Rebecca Masen, for looking over this chapter for me:) She really does a wonderful job beta-ing all my chapters for me. So let's have a round of applause for my marvelous beta:D **

**Thanks so much also to everybody who reviewed chapter 28. I really liked some of the ideas people had for the title of the sequel to this story. I've gotten some really great ideas from you guys! You rock! :D **

**Enjoy chapter 29!**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Nine**

I've never been one to shirk away from uncomfortable situations. Living with the wolves had taught me that just because something may be awkward, or upsetting, doesn't mean that you should let your fear or dislike of it keep you from living your life to the fullest. Take, for example, the time I accidentally forgot to turn away when Seth was phasing back into human form after rounds. Now that was something I never wanted to see again…but I wasn't going to let myself think about that moment every time I looked at Seth. If I did…well- our friendship would be weak, breakable; and that was something that we wolves could not allow. The bonds and ties between us had to be stronger than steel. Otherwise, we would never be able to pull off the perfect group coordination that it took to take down a vampire.

So, yeah- I'd dealt with my fair share of awkward unpleasantness, and I normally would greet those types of situations head-on, with a smile on my face, as they often led to great stories and hours of laughter later on. But I'll be the first to admit that I hesitated for a moment before opening the front door to my house. Out of all the awkward and unpleasant situations I'd been faced with in my lifetime, this one had to be the worst.

I hated my mother. There was no doubt about that. Even thinking about her made my fingers start to tremble. But…I could tell that my father still loved her. She was his imprint, after all, and she did seem to have come to terms with that fact that she was never going to find someone better than my father. However, that didn't mean _I _had forgiven her. In fact, her return only seemed to have further pissed me off. I didn't want her anywhere near me, or Riff, or my dad. We'd learned to live without her in the past year, and things were just starting to get into a normal pattern. Now, my mother has to show her ugly face in La Push again and ruin everything I'd worked for since she'd left.

I wasn't looking forward to this confrontation at all. Without a doubt, it would involve a teary-eyed apology from my drug addict of a mother (I'm glad she'd found a good replacement for her family after she'd abandoned us), and more than my share of dirty looks from my father when I refused to embrace my wayward-straying mother with open, grudge-free arms. They'd probably end up calling Riff, too, and then- just to make my life even more miserable- he'd probably forgive Mom, too, and demand to be sent back home on the next flight out of the cornfield we'd stranded him in. Actually, it was probably a sunflower field- Kansas is the sunflower state, after all.

So then Riff would be home, and he'd be all lovey-dovey with mom, and dad would be all lovey-dovey with him for forgiving her, and Mom would be all lovey-dovey with all of us for not kicking her out when we found out about her various new problems- for all we knew, she could be knocked up _and_ on drugs- and they would all expect me to be all lovey-dovey back with them. But that was never, I repeat,_ never_ going to happen. I was smarter than that. Eventually, Mom would get bored by us again, and she'd be gone, and I'd have to deal with the heartbreak of losing my mother all over again.

Frankly, I just couldn't handle that. Not twice.

Eventually, I knew I had to open the door and face the tense silence I was sure would be waiting for me as soon as I made my presence known. Not only did my parents want to talk to me, but my dad was probably wondering where in the world I'd disappeared to. He wasn't worried about me, or anything, oh no. My father was a teenage werewolf, too, at one time in his life; he knew what it was like, and how difficult it was for something to hurt us. He wasn't worried about me getting kidnapped, or killed, or anything like that, but I had told him I was coming home over three hours ago. Most likely, he'd begun to think I'd decided to ignore him- which would really make him mad.

With a sigh, I turned the knob, letting myself into the house. "Hey, Dad," I greeted him flatly, seeing the way his arm was wrapped possessively over my mother's shoulder as they sat together on the couch, watching TV. I recognized the blue-eyed actress with the platinum blonde hair that could not have been natural, but must have been, because people just didn't die their hair that color in the 50's. Doris Day was currently lecturing a black haired Casanova who she had been forced to share a phone line with.

Seeing the familiar scene on my TV stung, as it reminded me of the old days, back when my mother could be counted on not to run out of the house and drive off at any given moment. It was her favorite movie- it had been mine, too, actually. The video had been progressively collecting dust in the past year, however; watching Pillow Talk just made me sad anymore.

"Freya!" my mother beamed at me, coming to wrap her arms around me in a warm hug. I froze, not even breathing, as I waited for her to realize that all was not forgiven. Finally, she pulled away, looking more than a little hurt. "It's good to see you again," she mumbled, looking down at her feet in shame.

"Hmm." I crossed my arms over my chest. "It's been a while since you've bothered to show your face around here. What are you doing here? Do you need money? Dad tells me you developed a bit of a drug habit. Is your funding getting low, or something?" My voice was cold, acidic, and probably a little more stinging than necessary. Scratch that- definitely more stinging. It looked like she was about to cry. I _almost_ felt bad for my harsh words- almost. Then I remembered all the times _I'd_ cried over _her_, and I felt a little better.

"It was one time, Freya," she whispered. "Just once, and I never touched the stuff again. I…I told you father because I wanted us to be honest with each other. I want us all to be honest with each other- just like we used to be."

"Things aren't like they used to be," I reminded her. "Not even close." With that, I stormed my way up the stairs and to my room, making sure to lock the door securely behind me; I wanted nothing more at that moment than to be alone. I found my iPod (it was hiding in a desk drawer, under my old school-box full of crayons and a handful of candy canes- advertized as "Candy Grams!" by my school's student council- I'd received from Jake, Seth, and the others last December).

"Freya, stop being so dramatic and come talk to your mother," my dad pleaded from outside my door. "Just for a minute."

Dramatic? He made it sound like I was just another whiny teenage girl, complaining about how awful her life is because she was stuck shopping at thrift stores instead of the mall. I was not being dramatic. I had a right to be upset, and he had no right to judge me for being upset. "Dad, I kind of need to be alone for a bit, 'kay?" I snapped. I shoved the headphones in my ears, found my angry music- the angriest thing I had was "American Idiot" by Green Day, so I had to set my iPod on repeat- and turned the volume up as high as it would go.

I don't know how long it took me to fall asleep. Whether I'd listened to the song four times, or five, or fifteen, or fifty was beyond me, but when I opened my eyes, my alarm was going off. The classical radio station I always had my alarm set on- this woke me up more kindly than the annoying beeping, or the heavy metal station- was playing Claire de Lune. The first thing that came to my mind was the time I'd taken Bella to the movies. We'd talked about music for a while, and she mentioned that Claire de Lune was one of her favorite songs. When I'd asked her why, she'd blushed, and admitted that she liked it so much because it was Edward's favorite, too. I slammed my hand down on the snooze button, and got up out of bed.

I searched once again for my illusive iPod- somehow it had ended up underneath my bed, the headphones missing- and switched it off before opening the window and dropping down the fifteen, twenty feet from my second story window into the side yard, landing gracefully on my paws, having phased in mid-air. I was starting to get really good at that; Sam said to me once that I was a "natural". He even compared me to Jake, once, which was an honor, believe me. The first month of Jake's werewolf-hood, he was able to phase in mid air without missing a beat. It had taken me nearly two months to master the feat, but that was still a month or so shorter than it had taken the others.

_Hey, Frey,_ Jake greeted me warmly. _Are you ready for patrol?_

_As ready as I'll ever be, _I chuckled in return. _How have you been? I've missed you today. _

_Oh, God, Clip_, Paul groaned. _Please, just…don't. Ok? If I'm stuck on patrol with the two of you, then just keep your mouth shut and don't say anything. Or sing anything. I'm serious._

_Wow, somebody's in a happy mood,_ I muttered darkly. _What are you doing here anyway?_

_Sam made me,_ he sighed. _Said to make sure the two of you were actually paying attention to your patrol, and not to each other. So…make my job easy ok? That way I won't have to do it again. And please, keep the lovey-dovey crap to a minimum. _

_Aww, he doesn't mean it, _Jake teased him._ He's just jealous. _

_I love you baby, _I thought in the most pathetically love-sick voice I could manage.

_I love you too,_ he thought with a grin. Paul groaned.

_So your mom's still there, huh? _Jake commented, catching on to the tone of my thoughts as they drifted back to my mother.

_Yeah, _I sighed. _She seems to think that everything is going to be just like it used to be, like it was before all this crap happened. Which is totally stupid. I mean, what does she think is going to happen? If she acts like things are different, then poof! No more freaky werewolf daughter!_

_She isn't giving you a hard time, is she? _Jake wondered, sounding worried. _If you're not comfortable staying at home with her around…I'm sure it's fine if you come stay with me and Billy for a while. He just raves about you, how wonderful you are. _He chuckled to himself, remembering his father's reaction when he'd been informed of mine and Jake's new relationship. _There are times I honestly think I might have competition. _

_There is no competition, _I assured him. To my delight, Paul made a choking sound in the back of his throat.

This was going to be a fun night.

When I finally got off of patrol, Jake and I had successfully gotten Paul to literally throw up at least twice. I thought it had been a pretty productive evening, and was thinking to myself how lucky I was to have a guy like Jake, who could distract me from even the most horrible things that could happen in my life, if only for a little while. I trotted up to Emily's front door with Jake at my side, his hands tangled up in my fur. He knocked on the door for us, and waited patiently with me while she made her way from the kitchen to let us in.

"There are clothes for you behind the tree, out back," she smiled at me. "I know how you like your privacy."

I nodded gratefully to her, and trotted over to the tree to phase and change. When I made my way back up to the house, I found Jake waiting for me in all his shirtless glory on the front porch swing.

"Good evening," he smiled at me, patting the seat beside him with a wink. Grinning, I sat next to him, sighing contentedly as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me to him.

"Hey," I smiled up at him.

They say that vampires have an unnatural beauty about them- a hunting mechanism, to draw their human prey in like the moths that were bumping around in the front porch lights above our heads (I could tell they were there, because every once in a while one would get a little too close, and drop to the ground at our feet). I guess that was true. I never got used to the serene grace and beauty with which the vampires conducted themselves. However, as I looked at Jake…I couldn't help but think that he was something completely different, a different type of beauty- a more human, natural kind of beauty, which appealed to me more than the Cullen's brand of unnatural good-looks.

I remembered how he'd looked when he was younger, with his round childish face and tiny, toothy grin, and the long, shiny black hair that even then reached just past his shoulders. He'd lost all pretense of childhood now. He'd grown up in the past year, and he'd grown up well. With his strong jaw, and dark eyes, his russet-brown colored skin and short dark hair…oh, and don't forget those remarkable, rock-hard abs. God. Just glancing at this kid could take any girl's breath away.

I had to admit, my boyfriend was hot.

"What are you looking at?" Jake chuckled, tilting my head upward to look into his eyes instead of at his six-pack.

I blushed, embarrassed that I'd been caught drifting off into my own little world the way I had. "Nothing," I muttered.

"You were checking me out, weren't you?" he teased me.

"Jake…"

"Come on," he grinned. "Admit it. You were totally checking me out just then."

"So what if I was?" I asked, my eyebrows raised high with the challenge.

"It's ok," he whispered in my ear. "I don't blame you."

"Jake!" I exclaimed with a laugh, smacking his chest as hard as I could. He just laughed with me, scooping me up in his arms and putting me back down on his lap.

"I like it when you're angry," he teased me some more. "It's totally hot."

"Shut up," I chuckled, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him down toward me for a kiss, partially to get him to stop talking, and partially because he looked really cute when his hair was all messed up, the way it always seemed to be after patrol.

When he pulled away, we both started laughing hysterically. I didn't know what was so funny. Maybe it was the way he'd been teasing me earlier, or maybe it was just that I hadn't laughed in a while. The reason was anybody's guess, but it did feel wonderful. I'd always loved the ache you got in your abs after a nice, long laugh.

"I'd better be getting home," I chuckled, getting up off of my comfortable seat and stretching my arms above my head. "My mom is probably up waiting for me to come home so that she can dish out another one of her lame excuses. I'd hate to keep her awake too late."

Jake rolled his eyes. "Or," he suggested, "you could come stay with me for a while, just until you get the situation at home evened out a little. Rachel's home for the summer, but Rebecca's out of the house for good. I'm sure she wouldn't mind if you stayed in her room for a couple of nights."

"No," I declined regretfully. "I appreciate the offer, but…I'm not going to let my mother kick me out of my own house. Besides...somehow, I don't think my father would like that arrangement." I kissed him slowly on the lips. "He thinks I'm irresponsible," I whispered.

Jake groaned, pushing me away from him playfully. "Don't tease me, Frey," he moaned dramatically.

"Oh, get over yourself, you little Drama Queen," I laughed. "I'll see you tomorrow, Jake. Goodnight."

"If you're sure…then goodnight," he grinned at me.

We went our separate ways, he heading to his house, and I, unfortunately, heading to mine.

This time, I came in through my bedroom window, picking up the shredded clothes I'd left behind when I'd phased before heading to Emily's place to start patrolling the reservation as I went. My room was just how I'd left it- a mess.

So, what did I do? I cleaned it, of course.

I put my iPod on the speakers I'd bought myself with last year's birthday money and set it on shuffle. Then, I got down to business.

For the next couple hours, I worked in my room, picking up and sorting dirty clothes, completely emptying my desk drawers, throwing away the extra crap I really didn't need, and reorganizing them, and I even cleared out my closet of old clothes that didn't fit anymore- I'd had a bit of a growth spurt in the past year.

The task was brutal. There was so much junk, hidden away in every crevice and corner of the place, stuff I didn't even know I had anymore. I found a box of old Barbie's, half of which were headless- Jake was never very nice to my Barbie's. I was overjoyed to find my old collection of VeggieTales tapes, and I made a mental note to get Bella over and have a VeggieTales party sometimes soon. There was the Raffie cassette tape I'd always insisted upon listening to as a little kid, featuring the Banana Phone song- you know, "Ring, ring, ring, ring, ring, ring, ring! Banana phone!"- and, my personal favorite, "Baby Beluga". Although I racked my brain for at least ten minutes, I could not for the life of me remember what the ring of keys I'd discovered in an old sock at the back of the sock drawer went to.

In case you couldn't tell, I hadn't done a really in-depth clean in a really, really long time. When I was finally finished at around five in the morning, I could have sworn that the walls were literally shining. The mirror in the bathroom next door was reflecting flawlessly back at me, as well, having scrubbed it and every other surface of the room clean when I'd finished my own room.

I was proud of my accomplishments. Not only had I gotten some much-needed (not to mention really late) spring cleaning done, but I'd managed to live through a few more hours without thinking about the coldhearted woman who was probably sleeping in her old bed, with my father, as if nothing had changed since she'd left.

Now that I'd managed to get so much work done, I changed into some loose sweats and a tank top and allowed myself to crawl under the covers of my bed and drift into sleep.

"_Are you leaving so soon?" Carlisle asked the bronze-haired boy with alarming red eyes as he dragged his suitcase down a flight of stairs. "You're welcome to stay as long as you like, Owen." _

"_I know, Carlisle," Owen smiled wistfully. "I wish I could stay longer." _

"_It must be hard," Carlisle sighed. "To be so near your family." _

_He nodded. "It is. That's why I've got to go now. If I stay much longer…I'm going to go do something stupid. I know that I've been able to show pretty good self-control so far…but I don't trust myself to be around my father and Gracie. I'd feel awful if I were to reveal you and your family to Forks." _

"_If this is what you want," Carlisle agreed, "then yes, perhaps it is best that you go sooner rather than later. I would hate for you to do something that you would regret later." _

"_Thank you for understanding, Carlisle." _

_Carlisle just smiled, hugging Owen goodbye. Suddenly, Esme appeared above them on the steps. "Owen, you're leaving," she said sadly, getting in line to receive her farewell hug. _

"_Yeah, I am, Esme," Owen sighed, hugging the motherly vampire. _

"_You can always wait until morning, Owen," she practically begged. "Didn't you want to say goodbye to your little werewolf friend before you go? I don't know if she'd be happy with you if you left without saying goodbye." _

"_I was actually thinking of stopping by to see her before I left," Owen nodded. _

"_Won't she be asleep? It's nearly three in the morning." _

"_She'll just have to wake up, then," he grinned mischievously. _

I woke up with a start, suddenly feeling as if I were not quite alone in the dark. I narrowed my eyes as they adjusted, and was able to easily pick out the dark shape sitting in the chair at my desk, his head on his arms, staring at me.

"Hey there, sleepy head," Owen grinned at me.

"Owen!" I squealed pathetically, jumping up and hurrying to hug my vampire friend tightly. "Oh, I was just dreaming about you! You're leaving," I accused with a pout.

"Yeah," he nodded. "I would have just woken you up…but I didn't want to scare you too much. Besides, I need the practice." He grinned sheepishly at me, and I buried my face in the crook of his neck.

"I'm going to miss you, so much," I murmured into the cold pale rock of his throat. "Seriously. This is so not fair."

"I know," he sighed, "and I'm going to miss you, too, Freya. But you know why I've got to go." Owen was silent for a moment, probably thinking about his family. I don't know if it was the sad, lonely look in his ruby eyes, or the way his light was shining just a shade lighter than normal, but something made me crane my neck up and give him a peck on the cheek.

"I'm sorry," I apologized. "About your family. They'll be taken care of, ok? I'll make sure of it- I'll include their house in my patrol every night."

"Thank you," he sighed, obviously relieved. "Sometimes…" he shook his head. "It'll be easier, with one kid out of the house…but there are times I honestly wonder about what's going to happen to my family. We were just barely scraping by from month to month on mine and my dad's paychecks. It'll be good to know that someone's watching over him and Gracie."

"They'll have money," I promised. "My dad or Billy or someone can probably get him a pretty good job on the reservation, and as uncomfortable as it makes me to be around so many vampires," I winked at him teasingly, unable to help myself, "I'll talk to Carlisle about the money issue. Your family will be well watched over."

"You are an angel," he informed me.

"Well, I try," I grinned.

He buried his face in my hair, as if he were trying to…memorize my smell, or something. Owen was a vampire now, after all- vampires were kind of weirdoes. You could never tell what they were thinking. His face in my hair did feel good…although very wrong. Maybe it was different for him, but the gesture felt too intimate to me. It made me miss Jake.

"Come with me," Owen whispered into my hair after a while.

I froze. My back was ram-rod straight and my eyes wide. I was halfway worried that someone would have to pry my arms away from his neck, but eventually I was able to collect my thoughts long enough not only to release my choke-hold on my vampire friend, but also to get a few coherent words out. "Come…with…you?" I repeated, hardly able to make sense of the words. "Why?" I wondered aloud.

"Because I can't stand to go a day without seeing you," he informed me. "I just…I can't do it, Frey. I'll miss you too much."

"I'll miss you too, Owen, but…I've got to stay here," I frowned. "There's the pack, and Jacob…"

"Jacob," he growled. "It always boils down to Jacob, doesn't it? Did you ever even consider that you had different options? That maybe Jacob wasn't who you were supposed to be with?"

I recognized the flash of anger in his eyes- it was the same sort of thing we werewolves saw all the time in the younger members of the pack, the ones who had issues controlling their temper. Owen was about an inch away from a total breakdown. I'd survived a vampire bite ones- that was a small miracle in and of itself. I really didn't feel like pushing my luck any further.

"Owen," I warned him. "Calm down. Take a deep breath. Okay?"

"I'm sorry," he apologized, his eyes closed and his nose pinched together with one hand. "Really. I'm still getting the hang of this." I could really tell he'd been spending a lot of time around Edward; he was starting to pick up on some of his gestures. I guess there were a few good things about Owen's leaving.

"And you're doing really, really well," I assured him with a smile. "The Denali coven will help you learn to control it a little better, I think…although admittedly, the Cullen's are a bit more controlled…but the vampire Tanya- I've heard that she's absolutely lovely," I winked at him.

"I don't want Tanya," Owen muttered with a shake of his head. "I want you, Freya."

Okay, yeah, so…that took me a little by surprise. I hadn't been expecting him to be all, "Omigod, Freya, you're like, my soul mate!" or anything. I didn't want him to feel like that, either. As he said those words…I felt a shiver go down my spine. Maybe…if Jake had continued to be an idiot and Owen hadn't tried making out with me in the movie theatre that night…

Maybe he and I would have ended up together.

"Freya, I lo—"

I cut him off, my hand covering his mouth. "Owen, don't," I begged. "Just…don't. I can't bare to hear you say it…when I know that I can't say it back. You're one of my best friends, and I love you. Only, I love you more like a brother than anything else." I frowned. "I don't want to hurt you, Owen," I clarified. "I just want you to know how I really feel, so that there's no confusion later."

"You're so…honest," Owen grimaced. "Brutally honest."

I shrugged. I'd always had a way of cutting the crap and getting to the point. I liked things better that way. Politicians could learn a lesson from me. "I just wanted to make it clear to you, Owen. I'm sorry."

"It's…it's cool," he sighed, shaking his head in defeat. "I didn't expect you to change your mind about Jake, or anything. I just wanted to make how _I_ felt clear to _you."_ His eyes alit with laughter at the humor he always seemed able to find in just about any situation. "And I want you to know," Owen continued, his face suddenly turned serious, "I will always be there for you. If you ever do change your mind or if you ever need someone to talk to…you know where I'll be." He broke out into a brilliant grin, his teeth flashing so brightly it was almost blinding.

"I'll keep that in mind," I chuckled. "I'm going to miss you, Owen." I hugged him one last time before he had to go.

"I'll miss you, too. I'll call you," he promised me, edging closer toward the window. "Bye, Freya."

"Bye," I whispered. Then, he dropped silently out the window down to the ground below, and walked swiftly out to his car that must have been parked out front where I couldn't see it. With a sigh, I heaved myself back into bed, pulling the covers over my head. I didn't want to think about what Owen had said. I didn't want to think at all, really. All I knew was that he was gone, and the last things I'd had to say to him had probably hurt him more than he'd let on.

I squeezed my eyes shut, determined not to think, at all. Usually, I was able to clear my mind. But suddenly…it was all too much. Everything that had happened lately suddenly just got to me. My mother's return, my father's easy forgiveness of her sins. Riff's absence- I always missed him terribly when he was gone. Bella's upcoming marriage, and my role in the wedding as Maid of Honor…and all the decorating and crap I was bound to be stuck doing with Alice later on. I was _always_ tired from patrolling every night, and I missed my old friends who had suddenly decided that I had abandoned them. I was feeling bad about Owen's almost-declaration of love for me- one that I could not and would not ever return- but I was still going to miss him like crazy. I felt guilty for having Owen up in my room at three-thirty in the morning, I always felt ugly when I looked in the mirror, because my entire body seemed to be ridden with long, white, ugly scars.

It was too much for me. Normally, I could handle a little stress. Being a werewolf was a stressful thing, after all. But all of this, together, hitting me at exactly the wrong moment, it drove me off the edge.

I couldn't take this much longer. Sooner or later, I was going to snap.

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**This chapter made me kind of sad:( However, it was necessary to the story:) It's almost finished! The light at the end of the tunnel is near, everybody! :) Are you as excited as I am? 'Cause I'm totally excited:D **

**I'm really sorry to say, but I won't be able to update again for a couple weeks. On Sunday, I'm going out of town for a week, and I won't be able to have my computer with me. But I've already started chapter 30, so hopefully I'll be able to finish it quickly when I get home:D **

**I hope you guys liked this chapter! I'll see you all when I get back! :D**

**Penny for your thoughts?;)**


	30. The Final Chapter

**Disclaimer: As I have stated in EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER of this story...  
I don't own Twilight. That would belong to Stephanie Meyer:) *Lucky!:D* **

**Wow! I am SO sorry for the long delay with this chapter! I NEVER intended for it to take this long...I mean, I knew I would be out of town, and in band camp the next week, so my computer time was minimal...but then I got sidetracked by this awful thing called writer's block:( Not fun at ALL! Well...At last! Here it is! Chapter 30!**

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**Chapter Thirty**

Sleep that night didn't come easily after Owen left. I tossed and turned for a little over an hour before I finally fell asleep, and even then I was plagued with nightmares. I didn't remember all of them, but there was one nightmare that stood out to me. Owen, Jacob, my parents, the Cullen's, and all my old school friends were running along an army of unicorns toward me. Victoria was at the front, leading them all with her fiery hair blowing behind her. There was nowhere to hide, and no matter how long or how fast I ran, I couldn't get away.

When I finally woke up the next morning, the sun was streaming through the window, left open after Owen's visit the night before. With a yawn, I stretched my arms high above my head. Then, I froze.

Sun.

Sunlight.

It was sunny outside!

For a moment all my problems were forgotten as I cheered joyously, hurrying to change into my swimming suit with a pair of jean shorts over it. I ran out the door, not even bothering to eat breakfast or say good morning to my parents, who were sitting together and holding hands at the breakfast table in a way that would have made me sick if I hadn't been so excited to see the sun.

I ran straight to the beach, through the layer of sand and over the multicolored rocks that were part of why the beach was always so beautiful, and splashed my way into the gray waters of the ocean, which was uncommonly warm in the sunlight.

There were several children playing and taking advantage of the sun this morning. Their parents were sitting on the sandy part of the beach with towels and picnics set out around them for when their kids had finally burned off all their energy. A small girl was playing near me, splashing about in the water, her face so bright and happy that I couldn't help but smile myself. As I watched, a little boy came over and splashed water into her face. She frowned in shock for a moment, her mouth parted slightly, but then she laughed, and chased the boy down the beach, tossing rocks at his back.

I laughed at the odd pair. The girl and boy reminded me of…well, me, and Jacob when we were little and used to tease each other to no end. Remembering all the times he'd pulled my hair in class, shut the door in my face, purposely stepped on my shoes in the hallway, tripped me on my way to my desk in the mornings…I desperately wished he were with me. With a sigh, I settled myself down on the rocky shore.

Suddenly, I was spluttering in the water, about five feet from the shore. I looked toward the rocky beach, and saw Jake doubled over laughing like a madman. "Jake!" I screeched at him, secretly overjoyed to see him there. He had a weird way of showing up just when I wanted him around.

He swam with long, confident strokes out into the ocean where I was bobbing. "Good morning," he greeted me.

"Are you magic, or something?" I asked him with a frown.

"What do you mean?" Jake laughed, wrapping his arms around my waist in the water.

"You always know just where to find me, right when I want most to see you," I sighed contentedly, laying my head against his chest. The warmth of his arms surrounding me was quite relaxing- I could probably have fallen asleep right there, in the middle of the ocean, if I'd wanted to. But of course I didn't. That would have been stupid. "It's quite a talent of yours, actually," I added with a laugh.

"Well," he grinned. "It's just this intuition I have. You see, you're so perfect for me that I've started to be able to read your mind. Freaky, isn't it?"

"Hmm…definitely," I grinned. "What am I thinking now?"

Jake closed his eyes, squeezing them shut and wrinkling up his face in mock concentration. He was like this for a long moment, every so often opening his mouth to speak, then closing it, shaking his head. At last, he opened his eyes and tightened his grip around my waist. "Funny," he mused. "I'm not getting anything. I really don't think you're thinking anything at all."

"You are such a jerk!" I laughed, pushing him away from me playfully. I began to swim swiftly the other way, but Jake was bigger than I was. He caught up easily and dragged me back against his chest.

"Where do you think you're going?" he growled in my ear.

"Away from you," I stated. "You're being mean."

"Can you ever forgive me?" he pouted.

"Hmm…" I thought about it for a moment, then turned myself around in his arms so that we were facing each other, a smile stuck on my face. "Maybe," I grinned, "if you apologize."

"I'm sorry," he apologized.

"Come on, Jacob," I teased him. "You can apologize better than that, can't you?"

With a grin that was so mischievous it was almost wicked, Jake pulled me so close that I could hardly tell where one of us ended and the other began, and kissed me. Our legs intertwined in the waters beneath us, we spent a blissful moment or two like this- together, with none of the crap that came with reality to distract us from each other.

"That's what I'm talking about," I whispered when I was beginning to get a little light-headed and had to stop for air. "You should be mean more often."

We spent the rest of the day in the ocean, splashing around and stealing kisses every so often. When some of the other wolves joined us later in the afternoon, we got together a game of tackle football. A couple of the braver boys from the reservation joined us, and it made for a very nice afternoon. That evening, the pack headed over to Emily's place for a sort of family supper. All in all, it was a fabulous day, full of family, friendship, love, and laughter. It was the kind of day I'd used to be able to have with my parents and Riff, back before everything changed.

After Emily and I had gotten all the dishes done and the kitchen cleaned up, I said my goodbyes and began the walk home.

The tension was just as high when I got home, as it had been since Mom showed up on our doorstep. I didn't know what to say- didn't know if there was anything that I could say without the night ending in me screaming profanities and running away to Switzerland. There wasn't much I could do about that, though.

"Freya," my father began, breaking the awkward, tense silence that had settled over the room the moment I'd stepped through the front door. "I think it's time you, your mother, and I had a little talk."

"Dad, we don't need to talk about anything. There's nothing to talk about," I shrugged. He'd said it all, with his actions, when he'd let my mother back into our lives. As far as I was concerned, he'd chosen his side. It was me, or my mom- and he'd chosen my mom.

"Have a seat, Freya," he ordered in that steely, commanding voice that always sent a slight chill down my spine. I took a seat at the kitchen table reluctantly, folding my arms on the table and using them as a sort of pillow to lay my head on. My father sat on my right, so I was able to look at him sideways from my current position. "Freya," he growled at me, his face etched in a scowl.

Muttering, I sat up straighter, but still averted my gaze from my mother's face. Dad wanted a talk, fine- he'd done more than enough for me to earn that much of my respect. My mother, however, had earned nothing. I would talk to my father, because he asked me to, but he could not and would not force me to speak to my mother. "What's up, mi padre?" I asked him with a sigh.

"Freya, I know that the last year has been…" he sighed, and shook his head before starting over. "I understand that you feel hurt." My father took more care in choosing his words this time, I could tell by the guarded expression on his face. "When your mother left… I was more hurt than you can imagine." Mom looked like she was about to be sick, her eyes closed and her hands pressed against her temples. Well, at least she felt bad about all the crap she'd caused. "But she's back now," he smiled, glancing at his wife and squeezing her hand gently.

"Just because she came back doesn't mean I can forgive her," I responded.

"Try," my father begged me. "Try to forgive her, because she's your mother, and you love her."

"Please," my mother pleaded. "I…I'm so sorry, for all the pain I've caused you and your father and brother. I understand if you can't forgive me. I never in my wildest dreams thought Markus would take me back. I messed up, Freya. I'm sorry."

"Sorry isn't good enough," I decided stiffly. "Sorry isn't going to fix things. I have been standing in such a big pile of shit for the past year, you don't even know, Mom."

"You've had a hard year, Freya, I know, but—"

I cut my father off with a laugh. "Are you kidding me, Dad? What do you know? We used to be a family- all four of us. You promised me that no matter what, I would always have my family. When Mom left, you left, too. Then Riff went off to school, and I was alone." The tears were streaking down my face now, months and months of pent-up emotion and anger at my father, mother, brother- everybody- finally breaking free in a torrent of tears and angry words that I was probably going to regret when I woke up in the morning. "I wasn't good enough for you by myself, Dad," I continued, my voice escalating in pitch and in volume as I grew more and more upset. "You wouldn't even look at me for months, because it was my fault she left in the first place. You blamed me for everything that happened."

"It wasn't like that, sweetie," he defended himself. "I never blamed you."

"It wasn't your fault, Freya," my mother added softly.

"She totally destroyed our family, Dad," I reminded him. "And as soon as she showed her face again, you forgive her, no questions asked, and then expect me to be able to do the same."

"She's my imprint, Freya," he emphasized. "What was I supposed to do? Turn her away? I love her."

"I don't give a crap!" I cried. "Don't you get it? She doesn't love us! She left us, Dad, not the other way around. We're just a couple of furry freaks to her, Dad. She'll leave us again in a heartbeat when things start to get too weird for her."

"Your mother is not going anywhere," he roared. "You're just going to have to live with that, Freya. As long as you live under my roof, you will respect your mother. Do you understand me?" His face was livid and terrible. I wanted to shrink up in horror- like my mother, who looked to be about half the size she'd been before our argument. But I stared him down. We had never had a fight before- not like this. I loved my father, and I hated to fight with him. But if we were going to fight, there was no way I was going to lose.

"I understand perfectly," I replied icily, already deciding what I was going to be taking with me when I left the house for good.

"Good," he nodded, calming down considerably and sitting down at the table once more.

With that, I stood up, making sure to push my chair in behind me like the good, well behaved little girl that I was. "Goodbye, then," I nodded back to him politely.

"Goodbye?" he asked, confused.

"I can't live with her here," I explained, meeting his gaze and daring him to challenge my decision. "She's hurt me too much, Dad. Every time I look at her, I…" I shook my head. "I've tried living like this for the past few days. I just can't do it anymore."

My mother, who had up until this point, been cowering in her chair at the table, making no noise as silent tears trailed down her cheeks, began bawling, looking for all the world like a three-year-old who didn't get quite what she wanted for her birthday. "Freya, don't go," she begged. "I can leave, I'll leave…if you hate me so much, I'll leave! But don't go out on your own like this, like I did. Don't do that to your father!"

Her pleas nearly broke me. I almost sat back down on my chair, and wrapped my arms around her. I almost told her that I was sorry, that it was possible for us to all live happily together under one roof. I almost told her that I loved her, too, and that of course I wouldn't leave her and Dad the way I was about to. I almost gave her a second chance…

But in the end, I guess I'm just a selfish person.

"Mom…living on the streets obviously didn't work out so well for you the first time," I sighed, running my hands through my hair the way I often did when I was stressing out. "I'll have better luck than you. I'm a werewolf, after all," I chuckled silently. "Stay. Dad wants you here, so…stay."

"I want you both here, Freya," Dad pleaded with me. "I can't choose one of you over the other. This isn't the Bachelor, for crying out loud!"

I sighed. I really did love my dad, and I understood where he was coming from. I didn't want the last thing I said to him to be that he'd already chosen- he'd chosen his imprint, like any good werewolf would have done. I tried to break it to him easily. "I understand, Dad. Really, I do," I whispered, twining my fingers through his. "She's your imprint, and you love her. I love her too, Dad. That's why I can't forgive her like you can. It hurts too much." I smiled sadly at him, hoping he would understand. I'd never been great with words, so I wasn't sure I'd gotten my point across.

He nodded, squeezing my hand tightly. "I love you, Freya," he reminded me. "So much. I wish that we could live together again, like we were before...but I understand if you can't do that."

"Thank you," I hugged him tightly. "Maybe one day, we can all be together again."

"I hope so," he agreed, kissing my cheek.

I headed upstairs to pack a bag full of my stuff- mostly just my essentials: underwear; toiletries; my iPod (alright, maybe not an essential for survival, but it was an essential for _me_) and extra cash; my favorite, most comfortable clothes; books. There were a few other small items, all of which I fit easily inside a duffel bag. I carried my bag downstairs and set it by the door.

"I'll be around if you need me," I promised my father as he followed me to the front porch. "I'm not going to change my cell phone number or anything."

"Where will you go?" he asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know," I admitted. "But I promise I'll be at school in the fall," I winked at him.

"I love you," he reminded me. "Don't you ever forget that."

"I love you, too, Daddy," I smiled sadly as I wrapped my arms around him in a tight hug. "I'll miss you."

"You don't have to go," he reminded me.

"You know I do."

"Goodbye, sweetheart," he sighed, letting me go at last.

"Goodbye," I kissed him on the cheek one last time before disappearing into the night.

**Jake's POV**

I smelled her coming before I actually saw her. Her sweet scent had just enough vampire mixed in that I was able to smell it from miles away; I was already at the front door and waiting when she flung herself out of the dark and into my arms.

She was shaking. It wasn't from the cold- it was the middle of the summer and besides, werewolves didn't really get cold. It was from…crying? That would explain the bright, puffy eyes, and the way she threw herself at me. But why was she crying? What had made her cry? I wanted nothing more at that moment than to find out who had made her cry, slap them over the head with a shovel, and bury them alive in my backyard, but I could tell that she didn't really want to talk about it, so I went ahead and led her inside.

"Are you ok?" I asked Freya gently, guiding her across my messy room over to the bed. She pulled me down with her when she sat, and buried her face in my chest.

"I…I left," she admitted. "I couldn't live there with her anymore. So I left. I remembered your offer to let me stay with you…and I was hoping it was still good. I'm sorry…I was at Emily's for so long, I hate imposing on her like that. This was the only other place I knew I could go."

"Shh," I hushed her, holding her against me. "It's ok. You can stay here. Rebecca hasn't come home in ages. Come on, I'll get you set up in her room."

Rebecca's room had been empty for years. She didn't really visit anymore- I guess married life had her pretty busy. Rebecca and I had never really gotten along too well, so I wasn't particularly bothered by the empty space her room had become over the past few years. Don't tell anybody, but Rachel was totally my favorite sister.

I carried Freya's bag into the room, and set it on the floor by the closet. "You can have anything in the closet," I decided, hoping to maybe tick off Rebecca just a little whenever she decided to actually come when we invited her over for Christmas dinner. "I mean, if Rebecca had wanted any of it, she would have taken it with her when she left. So…make yourself at home, and feel free to stay as long as you like."

It wasn't until now that Freya turned her wide, brown eyes up at me. They were bright and puffy, sparkling with tears that had yet to fall. She looked so…so sad. I hated seeing her like that- it was breaking my heart. "Hey," I whispered, holding my arms out to her. She stepped forward, accepting my invitation and allowing me to wrap her in a tight hug. "It's going to be ok, Clip," I promised her. "Things will get better- they always do."

"I know," she sniffed. "I…I just…"

"Are you ok?" I asked her, tilting her chin up to look me in the eyes. Again, the sadness in her expression struck a chord in me. I remembered our day at the beach, how alive and happy she'd looked. Now she just looked tired, and sad.

She smiled sadly, and stepped away. "I'll be fine, Jake," she assured me. "You don't need to worry about me. What I need now is a good night's sleep. I'll be fine by morning."

I chuckled lightly. This was so typically Freya. "That's a load of bull, and you know it," I called her out. "I'm going to ask you again, and this time, you're not going to give me this 'Oh, don't worry about me,' crap," I imitated her in my best falsetto, successfully getting a smile out of her. "It's not going to work on me. Now- are you ok?"

Clip shook her head slowly. "No," she admitted. "I just had a huge fight with my dad, I haven't even heard from my brother in over a week, I'm exhausted, I can't trust my mother and I can't seem to stop fantasizing about her being pushed off a cliff, I ran away from home and every time I look at someone I can't help but judging them based on their stupid light. I mean…look at me, Jake," she ordered, grabbing my face in her hands and looking me straight in the eyes. "I'm a mess," she finished with a sad sort of laugh, throwing her hands up in the air and collapsing on her back onto Rebecca's bed.

Holy crap, it was worse than I'd thought. I mean…I knew she'd been going through some tough stuff recently, but…I guess I never knew the extent of her problems at home. She never was one to talk about her problems- she usually liked to figure things out on her own. I was a little hurt that she hadn't come to me sooner, but…that's just not how she operates.

"See?" I smiled at her, picking her up easily in my arms and setting her back down on my lap. "That wasn't so hard, now was it?"

"I love you, Jake," she chuckled, turning her head up to kiss me sweetly on the lips. I could taste the salt left over from her tears; I wiped a stray one away from her cheek. I hated to see her cry.

"I love you, too," I grinned. "Now…you've got to be exhausted. I'll leave you alone now, so that you can get some sleep. Ok?" My arms were wrapped around her waist, her head leaned back against the crook of my neck, and her sweet scent was filling my nose and practically intoxicating me more than the time Rebecca's new husband had practically forced me to drink that champagne at his wedding. I didn't want to get up out of this position…but that was the main reason why I had to. I was never able to think straight when I was around her, and I didn't want to do something that we would both regret.

Besides- Billy might want to know that she would be staying with us for a while.

"Alright," she smiled at me, seeming to understand much more than I would have liked as she reached up and kissed me. "Goodnight, Jake," she whispered in my ear before shoving me away from her, a mischievous grin spread wide across her face.

There were times I really envied Edward Cullen. I would have paid good money to find out exactly what was going on in that girl's head sometimes.

"Goodnight Clip," I replied with a laugh, kissing her on the forehead before making my way to Billy's room to tell him the news. He was cool with it, as long as we "behaved ourselves", and made sure I knew that Clip could stay for as long as she liked.

I stopped by Rebecca's room, just to look in and see her one last time before I headed to my own room for the night. When I opened the door as quietly as I was able to, she was nowhere to be found. I turned on the lights, just to make sure. The bed was empty, as was the bathroom across the hall. With a frown, I continued on to Rachel's room, in case I'd maybe gotten the two rooms confused somehow, but she wasn't there, either.

I figured that she wasn't hurt- I mean, she was more than capable of defending herself. I was a little worried, yes, and I did hope that she would come back in the morning, but I figured that she'd forgotten someone at her own home, or that she'd changed her mind about staying with me altogether. I headed sadly back to my own room, opening the door with a creak and sitting down on the bed.

I jumped back up immediately, reacting instantly to the squeak I'd heard when I'd sat down. I looked closely at the lump in my unmade bed, wondering if a mouse or raccoon had somehow found its way into the house. I was just about to flip on the lights when I realized that it was Freya, sound asleep in my bed. I almost moved her back to her own room, but…she just looked so _peaceful _when she was asleep. Freya was so much happier now than she'd been just a few minutes ago, when she'd arrived. I hated to take that happiness away from her. Billy was the one who minded having Clip sleeping in my room- not me.

So instead of making her get back to her own room where my father had specifically told me she was to stay in at night, I climbed in next to her, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her close to me. Maybe it was knowing that Freya was safe and sound, asleep and in my arms, but I slept better that night than I had in months.

**Freya's POV**

I'm not sure exactly what woke me up the next morning. It might have been the sun streaming through the window, or the birds calling outside, or even the smell of pancakes cooking in the kitchen. Or maybe…maybe it was the weight of Jake's arms around me, and the sound of his breath in my ear.

"Good morning sunshine," he whispered, tightening his hold on me and kissing my hair.

"Good morning," I replied with a grin.

If you asked me to describe how I felt at that moment, I'm not sure I would have been able to. If you've never woken up in the arms of someone who loves you…you might not even understand if I were able to tell you. When I woke up that morning in Jake's arms, I felt safer and more secure than I had in over a year. I suddenly realized that I wanted to wake up like this every morning, for the rest of my life.

Whoa. Wasn't I a little young to be thinking about things like that? With a shiver, I moved closer to the warmth of Jake's arms. I wondered…if he was maybe thinking the same thing?

"I think Billy's making breakfast," Jake noted, probably with a slight frown on his face. Alright…I guess we weren't thinking the same thing- which means that I've officially gone completely crazy over this boy.

Lovely.

He was probably wondering how I was going to get back to my room without Billy finding out that I'd slept in Jake's room that night. I bit my lip, thinking…I would have to be really sneaky to get this to work. Like, ninja sneaking.

There was a small window in Jake's room…Rebecca's room didn't have a window, but it did have a skylight. Maybe I could climb up on the roof…

It was then that I remembered my new abilities.

With a quiet laugh, I stood up and made my way to the door. "See you later," I smiled at Jake with a wave. Then, I concentrated on being invisible. I hadn't practiced with this particular skill nearly as much as I should have, but eventually I got myself to the point where I could no longer see myself when I looked in the mirror across the hall from Jake's doorway. With a grin, I made my way silently down the hall and into Rebecca's room.

As Jake, Billy, and I sat around the kitchen table that morning to our breakfast of blueberry pancakes drowned in an ungodly amount of syrup, I couldn't help but think that this was how a family was supposed to act. Laughing, teasing, and passing each other the peanut butter…this was what love was all about. Jake was so freaking lucky- I mean, he had all the people who care most about him in the world, sitting around him at one table, enjoying a meal together. I couldn't remember the last time I'd had that.

I hope that one day, my family can be like Jake's- that we can laugh together again, that I'll be able to trust my mother not to run off and leave us. I really did love my family. They were the most important thing to me. Without my family, I would be nothing. Hell, I'd be nonexistent.

I wanted my own family back together again, more than anything. But with Billy eyeing the two of us suspiciously as he asked why the lights in Rebecca's room had been left on all night, Jake's hand seeking mine under the table, and the taste of some seriously delicious blueberry pancakes in my mouth, I had a family again. It may, _technically,_ not have been my family…but hey. Beggars can't be choosers, can we? Besides, Billy seemed to like me pretty well, and Lord knows Jake loved me more than I'd ever dreamed he would, more than even what was sane.

As I laughed and teased and joked and ate with Jacob and his father, I felt more loved and wanted than I had in…well, much too long. I remembered a time when I felt that way around the breakfast table at home. It seemed like so long ago…before I became a werewolf, when I was still just a little kid. There were times when I felt as if I were all grown up now, but I still knew that one day, my own family would be that way again. But you know what? For now…this was enough.

**The end**

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**Well...that's it! The Final Chapter:) I'm so sad that it's over! I'll get started on the sequel right away, and try to get it posted ASAP. You'll be able to get to it from my profile, but I'll probably put the link to it as a separate chapter to this story.**

**Thank you all so much for sticking with this story! I can't believe how far it has come in just a few months. Thank you, so very much, for all your encouragement and your wonderful reviews. They are what keeps me going when I get stuck. I couldn't have finished this story without all of you! **

**So...one last time for this story:)**

**Penny for your thoughts?;)**


	31. I Kept My Promise!

Dear Fanfiction Readers,

I promised that I would put a link to the sequel at the end of this story- and so here it is! Thank you all for all your reviews, and for sticking with this story as long as you have! I really do hope you all like this first chapter!

.net/s/6238426/1/Dont_Leave_Me

~*~11Renee11

Hmm...well...this is embarrassing:)

For some reason, whenever I copy and paste the link into the chapter, the whole link hasn't been showing up once it's saved. There is, however, a working link to the new story on my profile page. I'm really, really sorry! I have no idea why it's doing this, but I don't know how to get it to stop. I hope you all still read the sequel, despite my inability to work efficiently with technology! :D


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